Tata Communications and Bahrain Internet Exchange join forces to enable next-generation OTN network for Bahrain

Leverages TGN Gulf partner ecosystem to connect Middle Eastern markets such as Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and to the globe

Manama, Bahrain, and Mumbai, India, April 12, 2021

Today, Tata Communications, a digital ecosystem enabler, and Bahrain Internet Exchange (BIX), its exclusive cable landing partner in Bahrain, extend their partnership to offer high speed internet connectivity with very low latency for a superior quality and seamless viewing, gaming and download experience for customers in Bahrain. Equipped with OTU-4 (Optical Transport Unit), a next-generation optical technology, TGN-Gulf cable system will enable customers with a robust, consistent, and manageable data transport infrastructure with the capability to scale up beyond 100 Gbps. With this, Tata Communications and BIX bring the power of high-speed connectivity and digital transformation to the Middle East region.

 

To extend the TGN-Gulf cable system deep into business districts within the Middle East, Tata Communications is leveraging its strong partnership with leading carriers across the region such as Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, to offer a true carrier neutral comprehensive cable system. This will provide Middle East businesses, especially the OTTs, gaming companies, government agencies and hyperscalers who are expanding their reach in the region, access to the globe. The cable system seamlessly integrates the Middle East countries and offers direct forward connectivity to Europe, India and onwards to the globe. Specifically in India, it integrates into the deeply penetrated Optical Transport Network that covers 2000+ towns and 25+ business districts.

 

Vaneet Mehta, Region Head, Middle East, Central Asia & Africa, Tata Communications.
“We are happy to further strengthen our partnership with BIX in Bahrain and bring the latest technology to support data intensive consumer applications requiring extremely reliable high-capacity networks. This will give our global customers and partners in Bahrain open access to our TGN-Gulf cable system with high-capacity low latency data transmissions across the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa and European regions. It also opens access to a technically superior submarine cable system that provides Bahrain a reliable, scalable, flexible, and secure infrastructure to collectively collaborate and smoothly function in a contactless work environment.”

Vaneet Mehta, Region Head, Middle East, Central Asia & Africa, Tata Communications.

 

“Keeping pace with Bahrain’s growing bandwidth requirements, the country needs new cable systems that are of high speed, well-laid and help bring global content closer to the country”, said Shaima Al Hamed, Executive Director, Bahrain Internet Exchange (BIX). “BIX is excited to combine its regional expertise with Tata Communications global presence to offer end customers a technically superior submarine cable system that opens access to both the East and West parts of the world. The next generation OTU-4 technology supported by TGN helps our customers create an intelligent Software Defined Network (SDN) enabling them to serve their customers. This is a great value-add, not just for our customers but also for our country.”

 

“We are happy to further strengthen our partnership with BIX in Bahrain and bring the latest technology to support data intensive consumer applications like e-commerce, online gaming, mobile and internet banking, industrial automation and Internet of Things (IoT) requiring extremely reliable high-capacity networks, said Vaneet Mehta, Region Head, Middle East, Central Asia & Africa, Tata Communications. “This will give our global customers and partners in Bahrain open access to our TGN-Gulf cable system with high-capacity low latency data transmissions across the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa and European regions. Our latest OTU-4 technology upgrade is also a step in the direction to continue focusing on strengthening and providing the Government and enterprises an ecosystem of holistic solutions. It also opens access to a technically superior submarine cable system that provides Bahrain a reliable, scalable, flexible, and secure infrastructure to collectively collaborate and smoothly function in a contactless work environment.”

 

For enterprises, the superior OTU-4 technology on the TGN cable system provides flexibility to future-proof and create a software-defined network (SDN), while still being compatible with legacy systems. It also helps enterprises adopt edge computing and make use of cloud express connect, to link to different cloud nodes in and out of Bahrain. Furthermore, it will also enhance the performance and stability of the enterprises’ data, voice, and video applications at shorter round-trip delay (RTD). With reliable connectivity and bandwidth enterprises will accelerate their digital transformation journeys making for the country’s ecosystem to evolve towards a digital economy.

 

Tata Communications owns and operates the world’s only wholly owned subsea network that encircles the globe. This network enables businesses to reach more than 200 countries and territories. Today, around 30% of the world’s Internet routes travel over Tata Communications network.

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Smriti Arora Tata Communications +91 98192 76755 Smriti.Arora@tatacommunications.com Rijosh Joseph H+K Strategies +971 50 281 8849 Rijosh.Joseph@hkstrategies.com

About Tata Communications

Tata Communications is a digital ecosystem enabler that powers today’s fast-growing digital economy.   The company enables the digital transformation of enterprises globally, including 300 of the Fortune 500 – unlocking opportunities for businesses by enabling borderless growth, boosting product innovation and customer experience, improving productivity and efficiency, building agility and managing risk.   With its solutions orientated approach and proven managed service capabilities and cutting-edge infrastructure, Tata Communications drives the next level of intelligence powered by cloud, mobility, Internet of Things (IoT), collaboration, security, and network services.   Tata Communications carries around 30% of the world’s internet routes and connects businesses to 60% of the world’s cloud giants and 4 out of 5 mobile subscribers.   The company’s capabilities are underpinned by its global network, the world’s largest wholly owned subsea fibre backbone and a Tier-1 IP network with connectivity to more than 200 countries and territories.   Tata Communications Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India.   www.tatacommunications.com

About Bahrain Internet Exchange (BIX)

Bahrain Internet Exchange (BIX) is a non-profit organization established under the Government of Bahrain. BIX being a neutral peering hub and a landing party of TGN submarine cable, focuses to enhance the Internet environment by providing reliable and cost-effective dedicated internet bandwidth services with national and international interconnect services to the ISPs from its MMR/NOCs spread across the Kingdom of Bahrain. The robust high-speed network with first-class engineering support plays an important role in the deployment of services over the Internet by allowing the efficient exchange of traffic, reducing latency, and thus ensuring sustainable performance for bandwidth-intensive services to be optimally delivered to the end-users. As a landing party in Bahrain for the TGN-GC cable system, BIX accelerates and enhances the fast-growing digital economy of the Kingdom to support Vision 2030. www.bix.bh

Forward-looking and cautionary statements

Certain words and statements in this release concerning Tata Communications and its prospects, and other statements, including those relating to Tata Communications’ expected financial position, business strategy, the future development of Tata Communications’ operations, and the general economy in India, are forward-looking statements. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including financial, regulatory and environmental, as well as those relating to industry growth and trend projections, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of Tata Communications, or industry results, to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from such forward-looking statements include, among others, failure to increase the volume of traffic on Tata Communications’ network; failure to develop new products and services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; failure to successfully complete commercial testing of new technology and information systems to support new products and services, including voice transmission services; failure to stabilize or reduce the rate of price compression on certain of the company’s communications services; failure to integrate strategic acquisitions and changes in government policies or regulations of India and, in particular, changes relating to the administration of Tata Communications’ industry; and, in general, the economic, business and credit conditions in India. Additional factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from such forward-looking statements, many of which are not in Tata Communications’ control, include, but are not limited to, those risk factors discussed in Tata Communications Limited’s Annual Reports. The Annual Reports of Tata Communications Limited are available at www.tatacommunications.com. Tata Communications is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements.

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