Ooredoo Group has entered into a new agreement to construct a submarine cable that will connect seven countries in the region – Qatar, Oman, the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq – with Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), a prominent French firm specializing in the manufacture and installation of submarine cables.

Enhancing connectivity

The Fibre in Gulf (FIG) project promises to offer all GCC nations a low latency, shorter, and secure route to a new corridor that connects Europe with up to 24 fibre pairs and a capacity of up to 720Tbps. This state-of-the-art infrastructure will provide exceptional connectivity advantages to hyperscalers, business clients, governments, AI providers, data centers, and telecom operators, by promoting network reliability and security while also significantly boosting connection speeds.

Read more: Qatar’s Ooredoo reports $4.85 billion revenue in first nine months of 2024

Significant boost to the region’s digital industry

Ooredoo’s investment is poised to provide a considerable uplift to the digital industry in the region, facilitating the expansion of cloud services, big data initiatives, and the acceleration of digital transformation across the area.

Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, group CEO of Ooredoo, stated: “This historic project aligns with Ooredoo’s ambitious strategy to lead in digital infrastructure by expanding network capacity and interconnectivity across the GCC and beyond. 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. This initiative positions Ooredoo as a key player in addressing the rapidly growing data demand between Asia and Europe.”

Alain Biston, CEO of ASN, remarked: “We are honoured to partner with Ooredoo on the Fibre in Gulf (FIG) submarine cable project, a game-changing initiative that will mark a turning point in regional connectivity across the GCC. Leveraging ASN’s cutting-edge technologies and operational excellence, this state-of-the-art infrastructure will reliably deliver exceptional capacity and connectivity, empowering the region’s digital transformation ambitions and establishing it as a pivotal hub for global data exchange.”

Commitment to digital infrastructure

Additionally, Ooredoo has been solidifying its status as the foremost digital infrastructure provider in the region through its initiatives in artificial intelligence (AI), data centers, submarine cable systems, fintech, and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. The company became the first NVIDIA Cloud Partner in the region in 2024 and is scheduled to deploy advanced GPU chips during the first quarter of this year. Ooredoo Oman, a subsidiary of Ooredoo Group, signed an agreement last year to land the 2Africa Cable System in Barka and Salalah in Oman.

Strategic project benefits for various sectors

Moreover, Najib Khan, group chief business services officer at Ooredoo, expressed: “We are excited to launch this strategic project, which features state-of-the-art technologies deployed for the first time in the region. This will further provide substantial benefits to hyperscalers, business customers, governments, and AI application providers. It reflects our commitment to becoming the leading digital infrastructure provider in the region, delivering innovative business services and driving regional growth.”