OFN, the international connectivity division of Ooredoo Group, has reached an agreement with iQ Networks, an Iraqi fibre-optic operator, to enhance data connectivity spanning the Gulf region, Iraq and Europe.
Under the arrangement, OFN will acquire dark fibre capacity from iQ Networks, enabling the transport of data traffic through Iraqi territory toward Türkiye and onward to Europe.
This partnership complements an earlier accord between OFN and Iraq's Telecommunications and Post Company (ITPC) to integrate the Fibre in Gulf (FIG) subsea cable system into Iraqi infrastructure.
Together, these initiatives will establish an additional pathway for international data movement, serving telecommunications operators, cloud service providers and data centre operators.
The FIG subsea cable system will link Qatar, Oman, the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq. The infrastructure is engineered to transmit up to 720 terabits of data per second across 24 fibre pairs.
This agreement marks the next phase of a disciplined, multi-stage infrastructure programme and further strengthens OFN's international connectivity portfolio.
Khalid Hassan Al-Hammadi, OFN CEO
By bringing together FIG's subsea capacity and iQ Networks' terrestrial infrastructure, we are advancing a more integrated and resilient connectivity proposition for international customers.
Khalid Hassan Al-Hammadi, OFN CEO
The sheer scale of this collaboration with OFN reinforces Iraq's position as a key gateway for international connectivity. By combining Iraq's strategic location and iQ's leading terrestrial infrastructure with the scale of the FIG subsea system, we have an opportunity to establish the primary route linking Asia, the Gulf and Europe.
Asoz Rashid, iQ Group CEO
