Etisalat-led consortium to build BBG submarine fibre optic

UAE telecom major Etisalat has formed a strategic partnership in the construction of the Bay of Bengal Gateway submarine fibre optic cable along with RIL's telecom arm and industry leaders to enhance intercontinental connectivity and diversity for UAE and the Middle East region.
Other telecom majors involved with Etisalat are Telekom Malaysia Berhad (Malaysia), Vodafone Group (UK), Omantel (Oman) and Dialog Axiata (Sri Lanka).
The Indian partnering firm is Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited, one of the largest private sector companies in India.
"We are delighted to be part of this consortium that will enhance our already robust intercontinental capacity to support our customers growing high speed data requirements," Ali Amiri, Executive Vice President, Carrier and Wholesale Services, Etisalat, said in a statement here.

"Etisalat's SmartHub is the strategic terminal point for Bay of Bengal (BBG) cable. This reaffirms UAE's position as the telecommunication hub in the region," Amiri added.
Etisalat SmartHub is the innovative solution for carriers and content providers who are looking for a reliable infrastructure in the Middle East region.

Strategically located at Etisalat submarine cable landing in Fujairah, the SmartHub serves both regional and international customers through a state-of-the-art carrier hubbing facility and data centre.
The construction of BBG will provide connectivity between the Middle East, South East Asia and South Asia and is a clear indication of the growing demand for bandwidth in the participating countries.

The total distance of the cable spans approximately 8,000 km and is designed to provide upgradeable and transmission facilities by adopting the state-of-the-art 100 Gbps technology.
The BBG system will link Malaysia (through Penang) and Singapore to the Middle East (Oman and United Arab Emirates) with connections reaching out to India (Mumbai and Chennai) and Sri Lanka, a Reliance Industries statement said.
The cable system is expected to carry commercial traffic by end of 2014.