Gulf Bridge International (GBI), the first privately-owned regional cable operator, and TE SubCom, an industry pioneer in undersea communications technology, said they were one step closer in accomplishing the mission to connect the world to the Gulf region.

Announcing this on Sunday, GBI said the duo have achieved the status of ready-for-service for the GBI undersea cable system.

The system, which will deliver much-needed capacity to the Gulf region, connects Qatar, the UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Saudi in a ring configuration, with onward connectivity to India and Europe and additional connectivity to follow in coming months.

It will be developed and owned by GCC investors who are building this strategic infrastructure to serve the entire region.

“Achieving this status for our cable system puts GBI one step closer toward accomplishing our mission to connect the world to the Gulf,” remarked Ahmed Mekky, GBI board member and CEO.

“Our high capacity system addresses increasing demand and will foster economic and social growth throughout all Gulf countries,” he added.

The GBI cable system will enable future network expansion. With a capacity of at least 5.18 terabits, the system will encourage a greater sophistication of telecommunications service offerings.

Further, the system’s configuration as a self-healing ring will provide a high quality of service.

“We join GBI in marking the completion of its large scale project, which was constructed with our proprietary undersea OADM switching technology, which enhances network resiliency and flexibility,” said Debra Brask, managing director of TE SubCom.

“The GBI system will immediately redefine connectivity in the Gulf region, as it links three continents and provides a crucial technological advancement to previously underserved countries,” Brask added.-TradeArabia News Service