Doha,Qatar - Monday, March 14th 2011 [ME NewsWire]
In a milestone achievement, Gulf Bridge International (GBI), the Middle East’s first privately owned submarine cable operator, has announced the landing of its cable at Fujairah in the UAE. The cable will connect to du’s landing station.
To be launched later this year, the GBI Cable System is a high capacity, fiber-optic communications cable which will connect all the countries of the Gulf region to each other and provide onward connectivity to Europe, Africa and Asia. The cable landing in Fujairah is the first of ten planned cable landings around the Gulf region. This connectivity will ensure that the GBI Cable System will offer the most comprehensive geographic reach of any subsea network in the region.
Board Member and CEO of Gulf Bridge International, Mr. Ahmed Mekky commenting on the achievement said “Today’s landing is another significant step towards the launch of the GBI Cable System, which was designed and built to position the Middle East as strategic communications hub between the mature markets of Europe and North America and the rapidly growing markets of Asia and Africa."
"We are committed to our vision of Connecting the World to the Gulf. GBI will offer our customers greater choice, value, diversity and resilience. We are also glad to work hand in hand with a number of outstanding companies such as ‘Du’, who are going to help us realize this vision.” Mr. Mekky added.
Farid Faraidooni, Chief Commercial Officer, du, said: “We welcome the landing of GBI’s state-of-the-art submarine cable on our shores. This is momentous both from a commercial and a customer point of view. Once operational, it will not only expand choice of connectivity but more importantly will significantly enhance redundancy in operations. We congratulate GBI on this achievement and look forward to the day when the cable system is launched.”
Over the next few months, the cable ship, “Responder”, will be working in the Gulf waters with a fleet of other specialized ships, to continue the installation process of the GBI Cable System, which is configured as a self-healing ring within the Gulf. The GBI Cable System deploys several state-of-the-art technologies, such as the new dual-stage repeaters and wavelength monitoring units that guarantee flawless and error-free operations throughout the entire system.
About Gulf Bridge International
GulfBridgeInternational (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 du
du, the integrated telecom service provider in the UAE, launched mobile telecommunication services in February 2007 across the UAE, in addition to internet and pay TV services that du provides in some of the free zones of Dubai. Call Select, du's nationwide fixed line services for voice telephony, was launched in July 2007. By the end of 3rd quarter of 2010, over 4 million people in the UAE had chosen to become du mobile customers.
Among du’s many firsts is its historic Number Booking Campaign for both individuals and business, Pay by the Second billing system, Mobile TV, Mobile Payments, first of its kind ‘WoW’ recharge card (which offers customers the choice between ‘more credit’, ‘more time’ and now the ‘more international’ recharge option with additional credit on international calls) and Self Care.
For business customers, du business offers include Closed Business User Group and preferred International Destinations. du Broadcast Services division brings scalable media technology platforms and telecommunication solutions to the broadcast community through its world-class teleport (Samacom) and Master Control Room (MCR) facilities.
du products and services for consumers and business are available through du’s retail network, currently numbering 37 du shops located in strategic locations across the UAE, including the recently opened flagship store located in the heart of Abu Dhabi. In addition, customers can access du products and services at more than 3000 authorised dealers or through the du e-shop, accessible at http://shop.du.aedu shops are a one-stop-shop for mobile service, carrier select and the payment of service bills.
du is 39.5 per cent owned by the UAE Federal Government, 19.75 per cent by Mubadala Development Company, 19.5 per cent by Emirates Communications & Technology Company LLC and the remaining stake by public shareholders. It is listed on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) and trades under the name du.
Contacts
Krikor Khatchikian
Telephone: + 974 576 3965
Cohn & Wolfe Public Relations, Doha, Qatar for GBI
Email: Krikor.Khatchikian@cohnwolfeqatar.com, Media@GBIinc.Com
Saugat Chatterjee
Public Relations Manager
Brand & Communications
du
Mobile: +971 55 9367045
Email: saugat.chatterjee@du.ae
Reka Sepsy
Manning, Selvage & Lee
Tel: +971 4 367 6154
Email:reka.sepsy@dubai.mslpr.com
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