Brendan Press, CCO, Gulf Bridge International
A significant amount of internet traffic is related to social and messaging platforms, video streaming, gaming, music and backup storage data – and this demand for content shows no signs of slowing down.
The growth in data and content demand, alongside a need for faster access to technology stacks in data centres and cloud deployments, is pushing capacity to its limits. Businesses therefore require access to a scalable, reliable, super-fast network to ensure they can digitally transform and deliver new services to customers.
For those businesses (carriers, ISPs, governments and enterprises) with international operations, ensuring connectivity across regions is a major responsibility. You can’t provide a seamless experience to employees and customers if latency issues mean there is a delay between point A and B. In order words, businesses require connectivity that connects their locations directly and efficiently.
Lessons from the Suez and Panama Canals
However, not all direct routes are created equal. Cast your mind to shipping and global logistics. The Suez Canal connects the Red and Mediterranean Seas, while the Panama Canal does the same for the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. They are critical to the global flow of goods as they mitigate the need for ships to sail around Africa and South America: routes that will still get you from A to B, but just in a much longer timeframe.
Now compare that to connectivity. A single Middle East provider that can deliver intraregional connectivity systems, as well as provide on an international scale, linking Asia, the Middle East and Europe offering a more direct route, delivering low latency and better performance.
GBI’s North Express Route
A provider in the Middle East, such as Gulf Bridge International (GBI), is perfectly placed to provide for businesses seeking international connectivity. This is because at the moment almost all subsea cables and traffic from West Asia, South Asia and East Asia pass through Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea on the way to Europe.
They are heavily dependent on a single route for all Europe-Asia connectivity – via Egypt and the Suez Canal – which can create bottlenecks. And bottlenecks in this context can be costly, as outages and high latency can impact individuals, businesses and countries on a vast scale.
It’s therefore crucial that there is full diversity for Europe-Asia connectivity, and the Gulf is integral to this. Leveraging cable and assets in Asia, as well as the Gulf countries such as Iraq to carry traffic via diverse terrestrial networks to Europe, provides a multitude of benefits.
Adding diversification to existing terrestrial routes through different countries provides redundancy, which means users remain connected in the case of an outage. This is vital in ensuring the continuation of mission-critical operations, particularly as more and more companies accelerate their digital transformation strategies.
The Middle East is a golden ticket to connectivity
Because of the diversity that it offers, the Middle East should no longer be seen as an emerging market. Many nations – including Qatar – have ambitious National Visions in place which are built around digitally driven societies. This means an even greater hunger for connectivity and digital capabilities, and that new investment will flow in from all sides. Simply put, the Middle East is essential for global connectivity, much like the Suez Canal is for global trade.
However, establishing connectivity in a region takes more than just flicking a switch. It’s the consequence of a series of relationships between providers of submarine and terrestrial cables, operators of cable landing stations, regional mobile and fibre networks, data centres, and many other parties. GBI is proud to be a pioneer in this space, dedicating the past three years to building the platform, partnerships, and technical expertise needed to establish a trusted corridor between East and West for global communications and digital services. With over 1 terabyte of traffic already utilising this new route, GBI remains committed to its growth and support. The recent announcement of GBI’s investment in dark fibre infrastructure in Iraq further demonstrates this commitment.
