Bahraini telecommunications provider Batelco and e& (Etisalat) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the landing of the Al Khaleej subsea cable system in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The agreement will see the 1,400 kilometer long Al Khaleej subsea data cable system, fully owned by Batelco, connecting Bahrain to Oman, Qatar, and the UAE.
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Regional Communication
The Al Khaleej Cable will branch off from the 21,700-kilometer-long SEA-ME-WE 6 cable, currently in development to connect Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe. Batelco, through the Beyon Group, is one of the major investors in the SEA-ME-WE 6 consortium.
Batelco's Chief Global Business Officer and e&'s Carrier & Wholesale Group, Chief Carrier and Wholesale Officer signed the MoU, according to an announcement on February 14, 2023.
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Batelco said, "As the exclusive owner of this state-of-the-art Al Khaleej cable system, we are committed to providing unparalleled connectivity and a digital superhighway that will transform communication within the region. With Bahrain now directly connected to other GCC countries through this advanced infrastructure, we are ushering in a new era of seamless and efficient data exchange."
"The integration of the new submarine cable Al Khaleej into the UAE extending its reach to Bahrain and the GCC marks a groundbreaking milestone in the region's telecommunications infrastructure. This new development enhances much-needed subsea diversification of routes, paving the way for unparalleled international connectivity into the heart of the Middle East," e& said.
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Around 20 subsea cable systems land in the UAE, and the majority of those are managed by e&. Batelco said, "The Al Khaleej cable is expected to be in service by Q2 2026. The system will diversify routes and augment international connectivity for the region."
