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Ooredoo Group’s international connectivity arm OFN has signed an agreement with Iraqi fibre infrastructure provider iQ Networks for the purchase of multiple dark fibre pairs to secure transit connectivity across Iraq the parties announced Tuesday. The deal integrates with OFN’s separate landing partnership for the Fibre in Gulf project with the state-owned Iraqi Telecommunications and Post Company creating a unified subsea-to-terrestrial pathway. This infrastructure development aims to capitalise on Iraq’s strategic geography to handle rising international data volumes that would otherwise route through alternative regional paths.
The Fibre in Gulf cable system will connect Qatar Oman the United Arab Emirates Bahrain Saudi Arabia Kuwait and Iraq with a designed capacity of up to 720 terabits per second across 24 fibre pairs according to project specifications released by Ooredoo. Once the subsea segment lands in Iraq iQ Networks’ terrestrial network will extend connectivity northward to the Turkish border and into European markets. The combined corridor is expected to enhance reliability and performance for data traffic originating from Asia and the Gulf region.
Ooredoo established OFN as an independent entity in February 2026 to manage and expand its international connectivity and subsea cable assets with the separation process scheduled for completion by 2027 the group has stated. The new platform supports Ooredoo’s objective of lifting international infrastructure revenues from 3 percent to 12 percent of total group income by addressing accelerating demand from artificial intelligence cloud computing and hyperscale operators. Khalid Hassan Al-Hamadi was appointed chief executive of OFN bringing prior leadership experience from Ooredoo operations across the region.
iQ Networks operates the Silk Route Transit terrestrial fibre network which launched in 2023 and has already surpassed 1 terabit per second of active capacity the company has reported. The provider previously signed Iraq’s first dark fibre indefeasible right of use framework agreement with Gulf Bridge International in January 2025 in a ceremony attended by the Iraqi Ministry of Communications. These initiatives have progressively positioned Iraq as an emerging hub for low-latency data transit between the Middle East and Europe.
Terrestrial routes through Iraq offer latency of approximately 70 milliseconds to European destinations compared with 150 milliseconds on typical submarine cable paths an advantage that holds particular value for financial transactions and AI-driven applications according to industry assessments. The latest agreement was formalised at Ooredoo Group headquarters in Doha with participation from senior Iraqi communications officials alongside executives from OFN ITPC and iQ Networks. For Iraq the project forms part of national efforts to convert geographical location into tangible economic gains by drawing global data flows.
The partnership reflects broader regional momentum toward diversifying connectivity options amid exponential growth in data traffic Ooredoo has noted in its strategic updates. OFN’s investments align with the group’s RISE transformation plan that prioritises digital infrastructure as a core growth driver. Additional fibre and subsea developments across the Gulf continue to reinforce network resilience as demand from hyperscalers and content providers intensifies.
