Almaty is testing a new tourist rescue system called AG Tag, which will allow sending an SOS signal and transmitting one's location to rescuers even in areas without mobile communication or internet. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The device has already been tested on six mountain routes, and a pilot test involving tourists and climbers is planned to begin by the end of 2026, the city akimat reported.
The development is being carried out by AG Digital KZ with the participation of the Almaty Digitalization Department. The system is designed to locate people in hard-to-reach areas where an ordinary phone may be useless.
According to rescue services, more than a thousand search-and-rescue operations are conducted in the mountains of Almaty every year. At the same time, many popular tourist routes lack cellular coverage, which complicates the search for people and the provision of assistance.
AG Tag is a small personal device with an SOS button. It independently determines a person's location using satellite navigation and transmits the coordinates to a rescue service base station via a radio channel.
In case of danger, a tourist only needs to press the SOS button. The signal will reach an operational duty officer, who will see the person's location on an electronic map.
The coordinates are updated every two seconds, and the signal transmission range is up to 15 kilometers. The device itself does not require a SIM card, mobile communication, or internet connection.
The system also allows rescuers to monitor whether communication with the device is maintained. If the signal is lost, the last known location of the tourist will be saved on the map. The base station is capable of operating autonomously, without internet or mobile networks.
Almaty plans to open 12 device distribution points on popular tourist routes. Among them are Almarasan, Ayusai, Medeu, Kimasar, Kokzhailau, Butakovka, and Shymbulak.
A registration mechanism via the eGov Mobile application is being developed for obtaining the device. It is expected that before a hike, a tourist will be able to indicate their route and estimated return time, and then receive an AG Tag through the system using a QR code.
After completing the hike, the equipment must be returned.
The distribution mechanism is still under development. The akimat did not specify whether the use of the devices will be free of charge or when exactly the distribution points will open.
The developers tested AG Tag on six mountain routes in Almaty, including in the areas of Turist, Panorama, Bukreev, and Furmanov peaks, as well as the Big Almaty Lake.
The tests took place under various weather conditions, including in high-altitude areas. The Almaty rescue service and the republican operational rescue squad of the Ministry of Emergency Situations were involved in the checks.
According to the akimat, the tests confirmed the system's operability, including in areas without cellular coverage.
The first batch of devices has now been manufactured for further checks. A pilot project involving tourists and climbing communities is planned to be launched by the end of 2026.
In the future, the technology is intended to be used not only in the mountains of Almaty but also in other tourist zones and hard-to-reach areas of Kazakhstan.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote about the tragedy in the Almarasan gorge in May 2025. During a rockfall, a girl was pinned by a huge boulder. While she remained under the stone, her friends had to descend in search of mobile communication to call for help. Rescuers arrived only three hours later.
After the incident, public activists called for equipping popular mountain routes with emergency communication means, including SOS buttons and landline phones.
The problem of lack of communication has manifested in other cases as well. In May 2026, rescuers searched for a foreign student who had fallen behind a tourist group in the Kokzhailau area. His phone was out of network coverage. The young man was found at night on a mountain slope, where he had fallen asleep.