Bahrain Telecommunication Company (Batelco) has signed a master bilateral supply agreement with China Unicom Hong Kong, the international business development arm of China Unicom group in Asia Pacific and the Middle East regions, during the annual Capacity Middle East 2015 event in Dubai.

Batelco general manager for enterprise division Adel Al Daylami and China Unicom Hong Kong executive vice-president Yuerui Ma signed the agreement in the presence of officials from both organisations, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The partnership will allow the two organisations access to each other's networks, enabling them to extend their reach into new locations.

“As a major organisation with operations in 14 global locations, Batelco understands the importance of forming partnerships with organisations of similar calibre,” Al Daylami said.

“China Unicom is a leading telecom operator with 31 branches in Mainland China and eight overseas subsidiaries.

This will further reinforce Batelco's positioning, especially in the Asian market, and will allow customers and carriers more access and reliability,' he said.

Al Daylami said that this partnership comes at a time when Batelco has been actively establishing a strong reputation in the Mena telecommunications industry and promoting Bahrain as a gateway for global providers who require connectivity into and out of the region.

“Our 25 active points-of-presence, and strategic partnerships and joint ventures have enabled us to secure a multitude of projects connecting multi-national organisations in disparate locations across the globe.

Ma said China Unicom was eager to work with Batelco in extending its service reach in the Middle East, mainland China and beyond to further enhance service coverage and portfolio.

“We are confident that our partnership with Batelco will boost China Unicom's competitiveness on the global stage and enhance our international business development,” added Ma. - TradeArabia News Service