Global cloud, connectivity and content enabler Gulf Bridge International (GBI) has announced its partnership with Iraq IXP to extend low-latency Peering services from the Gulf to Iraq, enhancing Iraq’s connectivity and access to global digital services. 

 

Through this partnership, GBI is driving Iraq’s relationships with the GCC nations, major digital services and global communities, fuelling the capabilities of the country’s people and businesses to boost its digital economy.

 

The announcement strengthens an existing relationship which last year saw GBI commence providing Iraq IXP access to its diverse cable network and Tier 1 connections through IP transit (IPT). This greatly strengthened connectivity throughout the country and this new development means Iraq IXP now benefits from GBI’s low latency Peering services which connects it directly to digital services and content providers in the Gulf region. Ultimately, the development allows for the direct exchange of traffic between Iraq, the GCC nations and wider global community.

 

IXPs play a central role in maximising society’s access to digital services. Iraq IXP is the country’s first IXP and it now has access to GBI’s strong relationships with GCC nations and major services providers and, critically, its network which delivers average latency reductions of 40ms. This caters to the increasing demand for low-latency, reliable, high-bandwidth connectivity to support growing data use of communities, the development of innovative digital services and the overall growth of the region as a digital hub. 

 

Brendan Press, CCO at GBI, commented: “We are pleased to enrich our existing relationship with Iraq IXP, with this announcement bolstering our ongoing commitment to the country’s digital journey. Iraq has the potential to become a hub for innovation and growth, and we’re proud to be pioneering and accelerating this process. Having globally connected societies encourages innovation and ensures everyone has greater access to better digital experiences, and our diverse cable network is the bedrock of this vision.”

 

Dr Harith Al-Shwaily, Managing Director at Iraq IXP, added: “This marks an important step in our mission to channel digital investment and innovation into Iraq. GBI has been a long-standing partner and we look forward to continued collaboration as we pursue our goal of delivering better diversity, quality and quantity of services to all of the Iraqi regions.”  -TradeArabia News Service