GBI builds bridges as cable roll-out continues

Newly established submarine cable operator Gulf Bridge International (GBI) has signed an agreement with Iran's TIC, the country's sole provider of telecoms infrastructure to private and public operators and the sole entity with responsibility for all international gateways and IP capacity and connectivity services, to allow the cable to enter Iran.  GBI's plan to land its cable in Iran fits with TIC's strategic plans within Iran and, as part of the agreement will facilitate onward connectivity to other central Asian countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey.

The GBI cable, which has a design capacity of 5 terabits, is set to being operations next year and is expected to provide service for 25 years once deployed. The company has also entered into a partnership with PacNet, which owns and operates the EAC-C2C cable that spans 36,000km across Asia as well as the EAC Pacific cable a 9,620km cable traversing the Pacific Ocean, connecting Japan and the US.

The GBI cable will also land in India, thanks to an agreement with Sify Technologies, which will provide GBI with a landing station in Mumbai.