Gulf Bridge International (GBI), the region's first private submarine cable operator, has signed an agreement with India's Sify Technologies, to land its sub-sea cable system in India.

GBI Qatar also announced that Sify will provide a landing station for GBI's cable in Mumbai, India.

The GBI cable system, which will connect all the countries of the Gulf region to each other, will provide onward connectivity to India and beyond via Sify's landing station. The launch of GBI's cable system will provide telecom operators and other communications companies, both in the region and globally, greater choice, value, diversity and resilience.

'As one of India's leading internet communications companies, Sify is well placed to ensure that GBI's cable system is fully integrated into the expanding Indian domestic market,' said Hamad Al Mannai, executive vice chairman of GBI.

'Access to Undersea Cable System will allow SIFY Technologies to serve the
emerging markets in the Middle East as well as the African region, which are also amongst the fastest growing economies in the world,' stated Raju Vegesna, CEO and managing director, Sify Technologies.

'Today's agreement with Sify will enable GBI to fulfill our mission to connect the world to the Gulf through the eastern route to India as the Gateway to Asia and the western shores of the USA,' added Ahmed Mekky, board member and chief executive of GBI.

Scheduled to launch in 2011, the GBI cable system will connect all the Gulf countries via a core ring, which can re-route traffic, thereby increasing resilience.

With a design capacity of up to 5 terabits per second on certain cable sections, the GBI Cable System will have the capability to meet the rapid growth in demand that has been forecast for traffic originating and terminating in Gulf.-TradeArabia News Service