Qatar-based submarine cable operator Gulf Bridge International (GBI) has sealed a USD445 million agreement with Iraqi telecoms service provider Iraq Telecommunications and Post Company (IPTC) to establish a landing point for GBI’s submarine fibre-optic cable in Iraq, Middle East business news source Zawya reports. The agreement forms the first in a series of Landing Party Agreements that the Doha-based cable operator is expected to sign this year. Prior to signing the deal for Iraq’s first international fibre-optic cable connection, Dr Farooq Abdelqader, the country’s Minister of Communication, commented: ‘The project will support development in all sectors in Iraq through the establishment of communications network and contribute to reducing the digital divide. It will also help in forging closer economic and IT ties with all Gulf states and countries of the world.’ It is anticipated that the extension of the cable to Iraq will provide new services with unprecedented quality and reliability to the country.
Meanwhile, The Peninsula reports that Ahmed Mekky, GBI board member and CEO of the company, has said that Tyco Telecommunications, the main contractor of the project, has completed the stage in the Mediterranean Sea, from Italy to Alexandria. Tyco is responsible for the design, manufacturing, deployment and testing of GBI’s undersea cable network, as well as onward connectivity to Europe and India.