Source: Fortune
Summary
Fortune’s Gulf Brief covers the latest developments in the region’s tech and business landscape. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are racing to build alternative data highways, including the $500 million Fibre in the Gulf (FIG) system, which will span 2,000 kilometers and link all six GCC states and Iraq. Ooredoo Group’s CEO Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo says the Iran war has “reinforced the proposition” of FIG, but acknowledges challenges, including passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The project is set for completion in late 2027.
Our Reading
The numbers tell one story. The Gulf countries are investing heavily in building alternative data highways, with the FIG system being the largest subsea cable system ever built in the GCC. Ooredoo Group’s partnership with Nvidia and Nokia to launch a multi-billion-dollar AI compute and neo-cloud platform in Indonesia is a strategic move to diversify its geographic footprint. The project’s success will depend on navigating geopolitical challenges, including passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Gulf’s digital ambitions are creating a parallel infrastructure race, with the region’s telecom companies trying to control the fibre and cable networks that carry the resulting data. The current war and its aftermath threaten the viability of the digital highways being built across and beyond the Gulf.
Author: Evan Null
