Etisalat is partnering the national telecom providers of 15 other countries to develop the next generation underwater cabling system for high-speed data communications.
SMW4 will fuel the growth of broadband capacity for various communication needs. |
With a capacity of one terabit per second data transfer, it is to be commissioned in the third quarter of next year.
The project - which will represent one of the biggest cross-border telecom projects undertaken currently - will develop additional capacity for data and Web transmission between key destinations in Asia and Western Europe.
The contract to build and install SMW4 has been won by a consortium of Alcatel Submarine Networks of France and Fujitsu Ltd. of Japan. It is valued at about $500 million.
The project was conceived and developed over the last 18 months.
The signing of the SMW4 agreement between the companies was concluded in Dubai yesterday.
In a speech, Ahmed Humaid Al Tayer, UAE Minister of Communications, noted: "Etisalat's pioneering spirit has taken full advantage of the huge potential of submarine cables to enhance communications on a global basis.
"Indeed, Etisalat's active participation in this field can be traced back 20 years or more. It has strengthened, grown and matured at every stage, both regionally and internationally."
The other national telecom providers are from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Italy and France. These countries will also be the landing points for the cabling system, the UAE's being in Fujairah.
On whether telecom providers from other countries can join in a later stage, Ali Amiri, executive vice-president of operations of Etisalat, said: "It is a decision for the management committee of SMW to take."
Presently, the 16 firms together contribute between $30 million and $50 million as equity capital of the SMW venture.
On what will be done with SMW3, Amiri said: "It will continue to be operational and can be used as a back up once SMW4 is commissioned.
"As one of the most wired destinations, the UAE, among others, has outgrown the capacity of the existing SMW3 submarine cable and SMW4 will fuel growth of broadband capacity for various communication needs, including e-commerce and e-entertainment services."
