Qatar Telecom, Indian firm enter into Gulf-wide undersea cable network agreement 

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) Qtel and host of other major regional operators have entered into a strategic partnership with Tata Communications for a Gulf-wide undersea cable network.

This state-of-the-art cable system will connect the Gulf region directly to the world's major business hubs and city centres through the Global Network, improving connectivity and providing the foundations for next generation communication technology.

Under the terms of the agreement, Qtel will be the designated 'landing party' in Tata's Global Network (TGN) Gulf Cable System, with other regional operators playing the same role for their respective nations.

Besides Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will be connected to TGN Gulf Cable in the initial phase. Subsequently, in the second phase other countries in the Gulf will be connected.

The total length of the cable system within the Gulf region will stretch some 4,469 kilometres, reaching from Mumbai through to Oman and onto Kuwait. The segment will connect to Tata Communications' global cable and backhaul network, which is one of the largest in the world.

Dr Nasser Marafih, Chief Executive Officer, Qtel, said: "Qtel is delighted to announce this agreement with Tata Communications, which will bring a new global, and much needed, resilient submarine cable to Qatar. The enhanced capacity provided by this cabling solution will help ensure rapid growth of Broadband services across Qatar."

Building and installing the global submarine cable will take approximately 22 months. When completed, the cable will enable at least 1.28 TBit/s of additional international connectivity in the region.

Through the TGN-Gulf Cable System, people in Qatar will have access to new, high-speed global routing that will encourage expansion in broadband penetration, Internet usage and enterprise applications.

Vinod Kumar, President and COO of Tata Communications, said: "This partnership is designed to create mutual benefit, which will multiply steadily as we use the foundation of the TGN Gulf cable system to develop additional network and IT services that address growing market needs."