VIVA in partnership with BT to develop exchange

23/04/2014 07:48 AST

British multinational telecoms firm BT yesterday announced it has signed an agreement with VIVA Bahrain to build a Global Internet Protocol Exchange (GIPX) interoperability hub in Bahrain.

The hub is set to be launched in the first quarter of next year and the two companies said it will provide end-users in the Middle-East and beyond with more choice, better service and higher quality communication services.

The two companies refused to disclose financial details of the deal.

VIVA Bahrain will deliver hosting and connectivity whilst providing a new route to market for BT's global Internet Protocol (IP) exchange voice and interoperability service in the region.

The announcement was made at a Press conference attended by Minister of State for Telecommunications Affairs Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, VIVA Bahrain chief executive Ulaiyan Al Wetaid and BT Global Services Middle East and North Africa managing director Wael El Kabbany.

"This strategically positions Bahrain at the forefront to shape the telecommunications landscape globally," Shaikh Fawaz said.

"Having this interoperability hub in Bahrain will complement the global footprint of IP connectivity and will connect the Gulf and Middle East operators to the best-in-class global IP backbone," he added.

BT IP Exchange is an interoperability service that enables fixed, mobile, legacy and next-generation networks to interconnect in a way that minimises the cost and technical burden of protocol conversion.

"It provides essential interworking between the various communications technologies currently used by businesses and consumers around the world and is specially developed to meet the growing need for connectivity between voice-over-IP operators, traditional communications providers, and converged service providers," Mr El Kabbany said.

"The hub in Bahrain will be the first such hub that BT will deploy in the Middle East, and demonstrates our continuous commitment in the region.

"It is also a new building block in the execution of our strategy aiming at rolling out a fully federated Global IP Exchange infrastructure across the world."

"The partnership with VIVA Bahrain will enable BT to extend its Global IP Exchange footprint to a fourth region, following the launches of BT interoperability hubs in Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas."

According to him, it unlocks significant pull-through business for mobile roaming, Wi-Fi roaming and other future IP Exchange propositions.

"It will ensure convenient, simplified and seamless access that allows telecom operators to provide their end customers with fully interoperable services and innovative products," he added.

BT already connects more than 400 IP Exchange customers globally with fast-paced growing traffic demand.

VIVA Bahrain chief executive said its customers in Bahrain would benefit from innovation in IP voice (such as high definition voice quality), one-stop roaming solutions combining 2G/3G, LTE and Wi-Fi roaming, as well as modern data services.

"Interoperability is key to the success of future communication services and IP Exchange is a core element to bring it to life for our fast-growing region," Mr Al Wetaid said.

"Investing in this technology together with BT underlines our strong commitment to develop our wholesale infrastructure for the benefit of the regional telecom industry.

"This hub will provide regional operators with service innovation and choice for their IP interoperability requirements further enhancing their competitiveness to service their local markets.

Gulf Daily News