GCX, now owned by UK-based investor 3i Infrastructure, said it had won an International Long Distance (ILD) licence from the Indian government’s Department of Telecommunications.
Carl Grivner (pictured), CEO of GCX, said: “The ILD licence paves the way for intensifying GCX’s capabilities in one of the world’s largest markets.”
3i Infrastructure’s deal to buy 100% of GCX for US$512 million was announced a year ago and completed in mid-2022. Previously GCX was part of the troubled Reliance Communications group in India – not connected with telecoms company Reliance Jio.
GCX went into a Chapter 11 bankruptcy process in 2019, after which it was owned by its debtors, and put up for sale.
GCX said the approval of its ILD licence was “a significant step towards building new partnerships in this critical market, which coupled with hybrid cloud connectivity brings a diverse choice for our customers”. With its licence, “GCX can support the increasing needs for fibre optic interconnectivity in India as the owner and operator of one of the world’s largest privately-owned submarine networks”.
Grivner, formerly CEO of Colt until he took on the GCX role, said: “We are further demonstrating the company’s commitment to this rapidly evolving business region and providing assurances to our wide-ranging international customer portfolio.”
