Ooredoo Group’s international connectivity arm, OFN, has signed an agreement with Iraqi fibre-optic company iQ Networks to improve internet connectivity between the Gulf, Iraq and Europe.
As a result, OFN will purchase dark fibre capacity from iQ Networks to carry data across Iraq towards Türkiye and Europe.
The deal builds on OFN’s earlier agreement with the Iraqi Telecommunications and Post Company (ITPC) to bring its Fibre in Gulf (FIG) subsea cable system into Iraq.
The two projects will work together to create another route for international data traffic, telecom operators, cloud providers and data centres.
OFN has also signed a separate agreement with the Iraqi Telecommunications and Post Company (ITPC) to bring the FIG subsea cable system into Iraq. The FIG subsea cable system will connect Qatar, Oman, the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq and is designed to carry up to 720 terabits of data per second across 24 fibre pairs, the company revealed.
OFN CEO, Khalid Hassan Al-Hammadi, said: “This agreement marks the next phase of a disciplined, multi-stage infrastructure programme and further strengthens OFN’s international connectivity portfolio.
“By bringing together FIG’s subsea capacity and iQ Networks’ terrestrial infrastructure, we are advancing a more integrated and resilient connectivity proposition for international customers.”
iQ Group CEO, Asoz Rashid, added: “The sheer scale of this collaboration with OFN reinforces Iraq’s position as a key gateway for international connectivity. By combining Iraq’s strategic location and iQ’s leading terrestrial infrastructure with the scale of the FIG subsea system, we have an opportunity to establish the primary route linking Asia, the Gulf and Europe.”
Source: https://www.mobileeurope.co.uk/ooredoo-ofn-fibre-optic/
