COUNTRY FOCUS: KUWAIT
ATG is one of Kuwait’s leading professional
IT firms, with a 15-year history in providing
intensive technology solutions thanks
to its industry leading credentials and
certifications. Ahmed Alfaleh, the company’s
infrastructure product manager, explains,
‘Everything is smart in today’s buildings and
the Ministry of Education headquarters is no
exception. Structured cabling must be able
to handle the advanced networking services
provided to the building occupants. As a
Brand-Rex Approved Partner, we know how
important a best in class network cabling
infrastructure would be to the success of
the project and decided that a Category 6A
10GPlus system for the horizontal and an
optical fibre backbone from the FibrePlus
portfolio would be the perfect solution.’
Alaa Habanjar, country manager – Qatar,
Kuwait and Levant at Brand-Rex, states,
‘We wanted to go beyond the Ministry of
Education’s and Alamiah Technology Group’s
expectations by not just meeting Category
6A performance standards, but exceeding
them. 10GPlus is a 3P approved cabling
system that has been rigorously tested
under strict conditions and is manufactured
in accordance with ISO 14001 and ISO
9001:2008. Meanwhile, for the fibre optic
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INTELLIGENTCIO
cable backbone, OM3 FibrePlus offered the
most robust and resilient solution. The entire
system is also backed up by an industry
leading 25-year warranty, which the client
found very impressive.’
After debating whether to use shielded
or unshielded cable, it was decided to use
the latter. Even though there has been a
great deal of discussion in the press and
elsewhere about the ability of unshielded
twisted pair to achieve 10 Gigabit Ethernet
performance due to alien crosstalk issues, this
isn’t a problem for 10GPlus U/UTP as it has a
unique Reuleaux shaped cable that reduces
interference from adjacent cables and
incorporates very highly balanced pairs. This
level of performance has been independently
verified in 100m length testing for both the
cable and the channel configurations.
The installation itself ran very smoothly, thanks
in part to the design and flexibility of the
Brand-Rex products. This was exemplified by
the use of the company’s tool-free snap-in-
jacks, which revolutionise termination times.
The jacks are not only simple and quick to
terminate, with a very low closure force, but
their PCB design excellence offers exceptional
electrical performance. They fit easily into
standard panels and outlets, as well as high-
density patch panels such as the Brand-Rex 48
port 1U panel.
Osama Seddik, project manager at ATG has
been particularly pleased with the high level of
technical and logistical support offered by Brand-
Rex throughout the duration of the installation.
He comments, ‘We were responsible for the
design, supply, installation, connection, labelling,
termination, and testing of the structured cabling
system, and Brand-Rex conducted extensive
training for our team. Their technical and sales
support is very thorough and highly effective,
which helped overcome any challenges. The
products were also delivered on time too,
something that made life much easier on-site.’
With the new headquarters now fully
operational, Kuwait has a building that mirrors
the country’s aspirations to have the most
advanced learning and skills development
programmes in the Middle East. Alaa Habanjar
of Brand-Rex concluded, “Once again, the use of
our products has ensured a smooth installation.
As well as offering excellent performance
and unrivalled usability, its new infrastructure
is guaranteed to support the Ministry of
Education’s operations for at least 25 years,
offering unrivalled peace of mind.”
www.intelligentcio.com