TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA SENIOR executives from Qtel participated in the launch of the TGN-Gulf sub-sea cable system by Tata Communications that will connect the Gulf to the rest of the Tata Global Network (TGN).

Qtel Qatar CEO Sheikh Saud bin Nasser al Thani, Chief Operating Officer Waleed al Sayed and Chief Wholesale and International Officer Ahmed al Derbesti represented Qtel at the event, which was also attended by senior executives of some of the region’s leading communications companies.

The TGN cable system is the first TGN cable to serve the Gulf region and will offer network access to the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, providing carriers and businesses with a direct route into the Gulf region. It is being operated in partnership between Tata Communications and Qtel, as well as Nawras of Oman, Etisalat of UAE, Bahrain Internet Exchange of Bahrain, and Mobily of Saudi Arabia.

The TGN-Gulf cable system will provide companies based in the region, and those looking to expand into these markets, with businesscritical capacity for broadband data and high-quality voice services.

With the launch of the new network, Qtel will be the designated ‘landing party’ in Tata’s Global Network (TGN) Gulf cable system, with other regional operators playing the same role for their respective nations.

The TGN-Gulf cable system will initially offer speeds of up to 10G and a greater geographical reach for Tata Communications’ customers, providing a critical backbone for economic development across the Gulf region.

Through the TGN-Gulf Cable System, people in Qatar will have access to new, highspeed global routing that will encourage expansion in broadband penetration, Internet usage and enterprise applications, and can look forward to faster and more reliable bandwidth, while the more resilient and diverse cable structure will benefit generations to come. It will provide city-to-city connections in contrast to more traditional networks which only link cable landing stations.

This approach is more costeffective, flexible, provides a faster time to market and is easier to maintain and manage.

Qtel and Tata Communications have worked together for many years to meet Qatar’s evergrowing requirements for international data and voice services.

Under the terms of an earlier agreement signed in June 2009, the two companies are aligning their infrastructures to provide secure, scalable and flexible connectivity solutions including Ethernet, MPLS (multi protocol label switching) and a wide variety of managed services to their global customers.