INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Cabling
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Batelco selects Ciena to build
the new Batelco Gulf Network
Adel Al-Daylami, Batelco Chief Global Business Officer
B
atelco, the Bahrain
Telecommunications Company,
the leading digital services
provider in the Kingdom of Bahrain,
has selected Ciena’s Converged Packet
Optical Platform as the foundation for
the new Batelco Gulf Network (BGN).
The BGN runs over a state-of-the-art
Optical Transfer Network (OTN) to
meet the demand for reliable and cost
effective high bandwidth connectivity
and capacity for Batelco customers and
international carriers’ wholesale needs,
supporting up to 8.8Tbps and beyond.
The BGN cable system will be
connecting all the countries across the
GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) in the
Arabian Gulf region.
Consumers and businesses across the
GCC are consuming more OTT (Over-
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INTELLIGENTCIO
Keri Gilder, Ciena Vice President and General
Manager EMEA
The-Top) content such as HD video and
services from local and international
providers, driving demand for additional
high-speed connectivity services.
The BGN terrestrial fibre cable extends
1,400km and is managed by Batelco
with full control and manageability
and can be interconnected with other
regional and global cable systems for
access to onward connectivity to Europe,
Asia, Africa and the rest of the world.
Batelco Chief Global Business Officer
Adel Al-Daylami said that Batelco
chose to invest in the Batelco Gulf
Network as a fully owned and
managed terrestrial fibre optic
cable network, thus providing the
country with a new state of the art
international gateway that will enable
Bahrain to meet the growing demand
for data services and applications.
“The BGN is a reliable alternative to
more vulnerable submarine cables, all
with scalable capacity and the shortest
inter-Gulf latency. This new partnership
with Ciena will enable us to achieve all
of this,” Mr Al-Daylami added.
Ciena Vice President and General
Manager EMEA, Keri Gilder said, “Ciena
is delighted to partner with Batelco on
the Batelco Gulf Network, which will
enhance communications and deliver
world class networking services for
customers, and position Bahrain as a
regional leader and innovator in
telecoms services. Ciena is
committed to supporting Batelco
through our extensive global
experience and expertise, and
comprehensive professional services in
the region, to deliver highly secure and
reliable connectivity to Batelco and
its customers.” n
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