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wiredInUSA - August 2013
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Gulf Bridge International (GBI) and Zajil
Telecom have signed a capacity sale
agreement. Zajil is Kuwait’s first Internet
service provider and the region's leading
MPLS service provider; GBI is the Middle
East’s first carrier-neutral operator and the
owner of the largest regional submarine
cable connecting the Middle East to the
rest of the world.
Zajil’s managing director and CEO, Mr
Khalifa Al-Soulah, told AMEinfo: “Zajil has
always placed its customers’ interest first.
Be it a business or an individual, staying
connected is of the utmost importance
and Zajil signing with GBI is another step
towards ensuring that our customers
always stay connected.”
Activated in February 2012, GBI is the
first subsea cable to go live with 100G
technology, spanning to all major
European cities and growing to become
a major transporter for many operators
in the Middle East and Europe to India.
The sold capacity will be on the first Gulf
network ever built in a loop configuration,
with routing onwards to Europe, Asia, and
Africa. The Gulf Ring is a self-healing ring,
designed to reroute traffic in the case of
a cable cut or disruption.
Capacity sale
agreement
Industry analysts have observed that,
with local cable companies meeting
more than 95 percent of domestic needs,
Bangladeshi cable makers are looking to
export their surplus.
“Our industry has been self-sufficient for
the last ten years and quite a few local
companies have initiated a move to
export,” said Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan,
president of Bangladesh Electrical
Merchandise Manufacturers Association
(BEMMA).
Local companies are manufacturing all
types of cables, including XLPE and PVC
insulated LT and HT cables, FRLS cables,
house and appliance wiring cables, dry
and jelly filled telecommunication cables,
aluminum overhead conductors and
dual-coated super enameled copper
wire.
Figures from BEMMA indicate 120
companies,employingover50,000people,
are producing cable in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh cable
makers looking to export