Bharti Airtel and Telecom Egypt have announced a strategic partnership under which Airtel will get IRUs (Indefeasible Right of Use) on the Middle East North Africa Submarine Cable (MENA Cable) and TE North Cable Systems. In addition, Airtel will take large capacities on a long-term basis on two new cable systems, SMW5 & AAE1. The transactions should be concluded after the fulfillment of all conditions precedent.
The partnership grants Airtel the right to use fibre pairs on the MENA Cable from Egypt to India with access to Saudi Arabia and Oman, and other fibre pairs from Egypt towards Italy. It also extends beyond MENA Cable, where Airtel will get the right to use a fibre pair from Egypt to France on TE North along with capacities on the SMW5 and AAE1 cable systems. This will enable Airtel to diversify its global network to fulfil growth in demand for data services, particularly in emerging markets across South Asia, Africa and Middle East, and benefit from the favourable economics of Telecom Egypt’s existing wide cable systems network.
Ajay Chitkara, director and CEO of Airtel Business, said the partnership with Telecom Egypt underlines its commitment to provide world-class service to customers, adding that the partnership including MENA Cable and TE’s network will be a good addition to its global network portfolio and provide it with a high quality and diversified new route to Western Europe and the rest of the world.
Egypt's distinctive geographic location on the Red and Mediterranean Seas has enabled Telecom Egypt to connect more than eleven cable systems from the East and thirteen from the West linked with the Red-Med Corridor consisting of seven diversified routes across Egypt.
