Qatar-based Ooredoo Group announced on Thursday it has signed an agreement with Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) to build a new subsea cable connecting seven countries in the Gulf region.
The planned Fibre in Gulf (FIG) cable system will connect all six countries in Gulf Cooperation Council – Qatar, Oman, the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait – as well as Iraq. Ooredoo has not yet disclosed the amount of the investment in the FIG cable or a ready-for-service date.
The FIG cable will be designed with up to 24 fibre pairs and a capacity of up to 720 Tbps. Ooredoo said the system will provide all GCC countries with a low latency, shorter and secure route to a new corridor connecting Europe.
Ooredoo Group’s chief business services officer Najib Khan said in a statement the FIG cable will also benefit hyperscalers, business customers, governments, AI providers, data centres and telecom operators by providing extra capacity, network reliability and security.
Ooredoo Group CEO Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo added that the cable would boost the region’s digital industry by supporting the growth of cloud services, big data initiatives, and the acceleration of digital transformation.
“We will deliver cutting-edge technologies to the region while ensuring sustainable growth for our investors through long-term revenue from rising data demand and market leadership in digital infrastructure,” he said.
