Doha:OFN, the international connectivity division of the Ooredoo Group, has entered into an agreement with iQ Networks, a leading fibre-optic infrastructure provider in Iraq, to purchase multiple dark fibre pairs for enhanced transit connectivity across the country.

According to Qatar News Agency, the agreement is part of OFN's collaboration with the Iraqi Telecommunications and Post Company (ITPC) for a FIG landing arrangement, which aims to develop an integrated subsea and terrestrial connectivity corridor through Iraq toward Turkiye and Europe.

The agreement will facilitate the terrestrial component of a new connectivity route that links Asia, the Gulf region, Iraq, and Europe. The Fibre in Gulf (FIG) subsea cable system is set to provide high-capacity connectivity into Iraq, while the collaboration with iQ Networks will extend this connectivity overland through Iraq towards Turkiye and Europe.

This combined infrastructure is designed to create an additional geographical route for international data traffic, enhancing route diversity and allowing customers to scale their transmission capacity as needed. It will cater to the growing international connectivity demands of AI providers, hyperscalers, cloud providers, content companies, data centres, and telecom operators.

Khalid Hassan Al Hammadi, CEO of OFN, stated that this agreement represents the next phase of a multi-stage infrastructure programme, further strengthening OFN's international connectivity portfolio. By integrating FIG's subsea capacity with iQ Networks' terrestrial infrastructure, the initiative aims to offer a more integrated and resilient connectivity solution for international customers.

Utilizing Iraq's strategic geographical location and fibre infrastructure, the initiative also aligns with the country's objective to become a significant regional hub for international data transit, capturing more value from traffic traversing its territory.

The FIG subsea cable system is being developed as the largest of its kind in the GCC, with capacity up to 720 Tbps across 24 fibre pairs, connecting Qatar, Oman, the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq in a high-capacity Gulf loop. The FIG landing arrangement with ITPC supports the planned landing of this subsea system in Iraq and complements the OFN-iQ Networks agreement, collectively supporting an integrated international connectivity route toward Turkiye and Europe.