Gulf Bridge International (GBI), the Middle East’s first privately-owned submarine cable operator, said it has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Tinet, a global carrier exclusively committed to the IP and Ethernet wholesale markets.

Under the agreement, GBI will provide capacity on its network connecting Europe to the Gulf region and Asia, and Tinet will interconnect GBI’s Network in Europe and offer services through their global footprint.

Specifically, GBI can provide capacity to Tinet in countries and cities in which the GBI Cable System lands; meanwhile Tinet can provide Global IP Transit, Ethernet and Virtual private LAN service (VPLS) connectivity services in all of its Post Office Protocols (PoPs) to GBI.

The partners will also benefit from one another’s extended network and service offerings.

“This agreement with Tinet will strengthen our position in the European market,” said Ahmed Mekky, board member and CEO of GBI.

“We are pleased to be working with Tinet to facilitate a more resilient communications infrastructure between the Middle East and Europe. Traffic between the Middle East and Europe is growing at an unprecedented rate and through agreements such as this, GBI will be able to provide comprehensive coverage across Europe to our customers,” he stated.

“We are honoured to enter into this agreement with GBI,” remarked Paolo Susnik, CEO of Tinet.

"Through innovative partnerships such as this one, we will extend our reach into fast growing markets, such as the Middle East, and further offer industry-leading connectivity services to customers," he added.-TradeArabia News Service