Abdul-Wahab al-Naqeeb (left) shakes hands with Ahmed Mekky following the GBI-FASTtelco deal

The Qatar majority-owned Gulf Bridge International (GBI) has signed a capacity purchase agreement with FASTtelco, which will provide the latter with connectivity on routes both within the Gulf and onward to Europe.
FASTtelco, a Kuwait-based communications company, has chosen GBI to facilitate its plans to further expand operations in the Kuwaiti market and beyond.
The contract is one of several advance sales secured by GBI, but is its first in Kuwait.
The GBI Cable System will provide FASTtelco with “greater choice, value, diversity and resilience for its traffic.”
With GBI’s fast approaching “Ready for Service” date, this advanced capacity sale agreement emphasises the ever-growing demand for capacity in the region and how GBI is working to fill this gap in the market.
“Since its establishment in 2001, FASTtelco’s strategy has always been focused on remaining on the cutting edge of technology and providing practical solutions to its customers,” said Abdul-Wahab al-Naqeeb, chairman of the board and managing director of Al-Deira Holding, and CEO of FASTtelco.
“Our aim is to differentiate ourselves among all local operators and further expand our operations beyond Kuwaiti borders.”  
GBI said it is committed to providing FASTtelco with “seamless turnkey solutions” and bringing its customers to the heart of Europe; thus eliminating the need to interact with third parties and enabling them to rely solely on GBI’s network. GBI’s ability to connect customers to the main European hubs is just one of its many differentiating factors that serve to distinguish them in the market.
Ahmed Mekky, board member and CEO of GBI said: “I am pleased to announce that GBI has closed this capacity deal with FASTtelco.”
“With our imminent launch this is an ideal time for operators and ISPs to place their orders with GBI, the newest and most advanced network in the region. FASTtelco has selected GBI as their carrier of choice and we are confident that we will exceed their expectations. Kuwait is a strategic market for GBI and it deserves a state-of-the-art network that GBI will offer.”
Scheduled to launch its operations by the end of this year and designed to operate for up to 25 years, the GBI cable system will connect all the Gulf countries and provide onward connectivity to Europe and Asia.  
The cable system is designed around a core ring, which can re-route traffic, thereby increasing resilience.
With a design capacity of up to five terabits per second on certain cable sections, the GBI cable system will have the capability to meet the rapid growth in demand that has been forecast for traffic originating and terminating in Gulf.