Qatar-based telecom company Ooredoo is positioning itself as a leading provider of fibre services in emerging markets including Indonesia, Tunisia and Oman.
 
It is pursuing the first-mover advantage in countries that are seeking the economic benefits delivered by improved broadband infrastructure, which include job creation, increased household income and permanent increases in GDP, said a statement.

In a global study based on figures from the FTTH Council, Qatar saw the fastest nationwide roll-out of fibre in the world last year, judged by the percentage of homes passed by fibre (32 per cent of total houses) and the number of homes connected in the year (14.3 per cent).

The study, which was published by research group Arthur D. Little (ADL) in its new report, “National Fibre Strategies: National economic imperative or just another private industry task?” highlighted the factors that enabled Qatar to take pole position.

Dr Nasser Marafih, group CEO, Ooredoo, said: “We’re very focused on offering our customers a broader range of services as cost effectively as possible, and fibre plays a big part in that. In particular, we see significant potential in delivering business services over fibre, and enabling business customers to deploy fibre to their advantage.”

In Indonesia, Ooredoo’ Indosat operation is offering a range of services for the enterprise sector that are enabled through a fibre backbone, including IP MPLS and virtual private networks.

Nawras, which is owned by Ooredoo, offers special bundles of fibre, fixed wireless and mobile broadband services to meet the needs of the country’s business sector. Nawras is currently constructing a 3,000 km fibre ring around Oman, to enhance backhaul redundancy.

In Tunisia, the company intends to roll out fibre in business districts, offering high-speed connectivity to leading companies.

“There are a number of different models for the roll-out of nationwide fibre networks, including national state-led projects and roll-outs driven by the private sector. We are fortunate that Ooredoo has worked within a number of different frameworks to deliver fibre, and a wide range of terrains and geographies, from Indonesia up to North Africa,” added Dr Marafih. - TradeArabia News Service