Bahrain’s leading telecoms company Batelco said it has signed an interconnection partnership deal with Qatar Telecom (Qtel) aimed at extending corporate VPN solutions between the two markets.

This agreement will provide state-of-the-art, end-to-end MPLS VPN services to Bahrain and Qatar-based businesses that wish to establish secure inter-office connectivity between both locations, said a senior Batelco official.

Batelco general manager Enterprise Division Adel Daylami said this strategic bi-lateral understanding is an important addition to its portfolio of OSS agreements, which enable the company to extend its Global IP VPN solutions to international customers through its partner’s reliable network.

“Accordingly, the benefit of Batelco and Qtel’s shared network can be extended to our international customers,” said Daylami.

This agreement, he said, complements Batelco’s range of global connectivity services such as global IP-VPN, IPLC, global satellite services and a global datacenter that not only enhances efficiency by offering seamless, secure and dedicated interconnectivity but also the reliable support of a professional team working 24x7 in one of the regions most sophisticated NOC’s (Network Operation Centre’s).

Qtel provides a comprehensive range of corporate managed services for companies, and this new agreement with Batelco increases the depth of its MPLS VPN portfolio, adding additional regional capability. The company is proud to work with Batelco, which is a long-term partner of Qtel.

This agreement will allow bi-lateral Data IP Services to be sold between Bahrain and Qatar, as well as providing one-stop-shop transit services to Batelco’s carrier partners.

The partnership comes in line with Batelco’s International Carrier Relations (ICR) strategy, which focuses on the interconnection of GCC regional carrier MPLS networks in order to expand the company’s IP Data Services reach to all major GCC countries and provide seamless MPLS VPN services.

Among the key benefits for Batelco’s carrier partners in Bahrain are seamless IP data services between Bahrain and Qatar, greater reach in the respective markets for data service connectivity, competitive pricing (dependant on volumes and commitment) and a one-stop-shop offering for the advantage of all parties, where Batelco is the GCC partner of choice for services into Qatar, said Daylami.

In addition, Bahraini clients will benefit from the extension of carrier grade VPN to their Qatar-based office, a multiple-purpose service offering to cater to different office applications, and competitive pricing, as well as a one-stop-shop offering, where Batelco is the partner of choice for global VPN solutions.-TradeArabia News Service