GBI and Interoute Announce Network Extension Partnership

Nairobi Kenya, Wednesday, September 22nd 2010 [ME NewsWire]:

Gulf Bridge International (GBI), the Middle East’s first privately owned submarine cable operator, and Interoute, owner operator of Europe's most advanced next-generation network, are pleased to announce an agreement which will extend both companies’ international connectivity.

Scheduled to launch in 2011 and designed to operate for up to 25 years, GBI’s cable system will provide telecom operators and other communications companies, both in the region and globally, with greater choice, value, diversity and resilience. The GBI Cable System, which will utilize the latest subsea fiber cable technology, will connect all the countries of the Gulf region to each other and provide onward connectivity to Europe and Asia. 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.

Under the agreement, GBI will provide capacity on the GBI Cable System (GBICS) to Interoute in countries and cities where GBICS lands and Interoute will provide capacity on the Interoute Network to GBI in Africa, Europe, transatlantic routes and in Northern America.

“I am very pleased that GBI has announced this agreement with Interoute.” commented Mr. Ahmed Mekky, Board Member and CEO of GBI “Interoute has an extensive network across Europe and this agreement will considerably enhance connectivity between Europe and the Middle East. This announcement reflects GBI’s commitment to Connect the World to the Gulf. International traffic between the two regions is growing at an unprecedented rate and together with Interoute, we will be able to address that demand and provide greater diversity and resilience.  Through agreements such as this, GBI will be able to provide global reach to our customers.” 

Ian Bedford, VP business development at Interoute, said: “The cornerstones of the global internet need strengthening and we are excited to be taking steps to make this happen. There has been a clear need to boost resilience in this territory for some time and we are pleased to be working with GBI to build a more resilient communications bridge between the Middle East and Africa, Europe and North America.”

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About Gulf Bridge International

Gulf Bridge International (GBI) is a private company dedicated to connecting all the nations of the Gulf region to one another and to the rest of the world, using the latest fiber optic technologies. The GBI cable will be developed and owned by GCC investors who are building this strategic infrastructure to serve the entire region. GBI intends to be the carrier’s carrier of choice for traffic to and from the Gulf, facilitating social and economic growth in the region.

For more information, please visit www.gbiinc.com

About Interoute

Interoute is the owner/operator of Europe's most advanced and densely connected voice and data network, encompassing over 55,000 km of lit fibre, 8 Data Centres, 32 purpose-built colocation centres and on-net to another 150 partner Data Centres across the European footprint. Interoute’s full-service next generation network serves international enterprises from a broad range of sectors including aerospace, automotive, finance, pharmaceutical and retail, plus every major European incumbent, as well as the major operators of North America, East and South Asia, governments, universities and research agencies. These organisations find Interoute the ideal partner for hosting content, providing wholesale bandwidth and transit services, corporate connectivity or creating new services. With established operations throughout mainland Europe, in North America and Dubai, Interoute also owns and operates dense city networks throughout Europe's major business centres. Providing service and support in 15 European languages, Interoute is a key part of Europe’s Digital Supply Chain. The network is future-proofed, endowed with Europe’s largest fibre and duct reserve, and is a leader in the deployment of advanced network technologies, from the ground to the Cloud.  www.interoute.com    

For media enquiries, please contact:

Ruth Jones                   Speed Communications                                                                                     +44 (0) 20 7842 3200                                                     interoute@speedcommunications.com