INTERNATIONAL communications company Ooredoo is rapidly positioning itself as the leader in providing fiber services in the developing world, as the company sees new opportunities in emerging markets. The company is pursuing first-mover advantage in countries that are seeking the economic benefits delivered by improved broadband infrastructure, which include job creation, increased household income and permanent increases in GDP. Given the company's global footprint – which includes dynamic markets pushing to enhance their national networks – and its strong track record in fixed line services, Ooredoo believes that the importance of fiber in its portfolio will accelerate in the coming years. Qatar, where Ooredoo has its headquarters, has emerged as a leading fiber nation. In a global study based on figures from the FTTH Council, Qatar saw the fastest nationwide roll-out of fiber in the world in 2012, judged by the percentage of homes passed by fiber (32 percent of total houses) and the number of homes connected in the year (14.3 percent). The study, which was published by research group Arthur D. Little (ADL) in its new report, “National Fiber Strategies: National economic imperative or just another private industry task?” highlights the factors that enabled Qatar to take pole position. Qatar currently enjoys one of the highest penetration rates for fiber in the world. The figures recorded by Qatar exceeded the progress of nations like Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, and Ooredoo has played a key role in delivering fiber in the fastest possible time. Dr Nasser Marafih, Group CEO, Ooredoo, said Ooredoo's global fiber strategy: “We're very focused on offering our customers a broader range of services as cost effectively as possible, and fiber plays a big part in that. In particular, we see significant potential in delivering business services over fiber, and enabling business customers to deploy fiber to their advantage. With the pace of business speeding up in Asia and the MENA region, we think that fiber can offer an essential strategic advantage.”
In Indonesia, Ooredoo' Indosat operation is offering a range of services for the enterprise sector that are enabled through a fiber backbone, including IP MPLS and Virtual Private Networks. The company has seen strong growth in the dynamic financial sector in particular since the launch of these services. This business focus is matched in Oman, where Nawras is offering special bundles of fiber, fixed wireless and mobile broadband services to meet the needs of the country's business sector. Nawras is currently constructing a 3,000 km fiber ring around Oman, to enhance backhaul redundancy and also to deliver services to business and consumer customer segments. In Tunisia, the company intends to roll out fiber in business districts, offering high-speed connectivity to leading companies. For some emerging nations, the process of upgrading from copper-based networks to whole fiber or mainly fiber networks is increasingly important, not only to boost local competitiveness, but also to support the micro layer of the latest mobile backhaul networks. Partnership with international companies like Ooredoo, which have a track record of network development, is enabling these nations to roll-out fiber faster and more effectively. “There are a number of different models for the roll-out of nationwide fiber networks, including national state-led projects and roll-outs driven by the private sector. We are fortunate that Ooredoo has worked within a number of different frameworks to deliver fiber, and a wide range of terrains and geographies, from Indonesia up to North Africa. This depth of experience is helping to make Ooredoo a global leader in fiber provision.” — SG
