Under the contract, Xtera will assume full turnkey responsibilities and will utilise its full optical networking products portfolio.
GBI’s CEO Ahmed Mekky said Xtera had an “impressive collection of technology that allows the firm to address both our terrestrial and submarine network requirements using the same platform at 100G”.
“This investment demonstrates our commitment to ensure that the Gulf region has the communications infrastructure required to be a strategic commercial hub,” he added.
The deal follows an announcement in August, when GBI claimed that it will be the first subsea network to go live with 100G performance when it launches later this year. GBI has invested $500 million in network infrastructure to achieve these cutting edge speeds, and to meet wholesale capacity demands in the region into the future (for further information click here).
Capacity has closely monitored GBI’s progress over the last year as it aims to deploy 4,750km of submarine cable configured in a ring in the Gulf, in a move that will link all of the Gulf countries for the first time through one submarine cable system. For an in depth analysis of GBI’s business strategy click here.
