NEWS
Batelco by Beyon and GCCIA extend strategic partnership
Batelco by Beyon has announced the renewal of its strategic partnership with the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority( GCCIA) during Capacity Middle East.
This renewal underscores their shared commitment to advancing regional connectivity, infrastructure resilience and digital integration.
The renewal agreement was signed by Maitham Abdulla, CEO of Batelco by Beyon, and Ahmed Ali Al-Ebrahim, CEO of GCCIA. This milestone reflects the shared vision of both entities to enhance network robustness across the region.
GCCIA CEO – Mr. Al-Ebrahim
Maitham Abdulla – Batelco CEO
Through this renewed partnership, Batelco’ s Bahrain Gulf Network( BGN), which runs over GCCIA’ s terrestrial fibre-optic systems, will continue to play a central role in delivering secure, scalable and resilient network solutions. As a protected terrestrial network, the BGN serves as a vital digital gateway, seamlessly linking the GCC countries and interfacing with regional submarine cables to connect to the wider region and global destinations.
Maitham Abdulla, CEO of Batelco by Beyon, said:“ We are delighted to renew our longstanding partnership with GCCIA, a trusted digital infrastructure partner that plays a vital role in strengthening regional connectivity. This renewal underscores our shared focus on delivering world-class infrastructure, unparalleled reliability and future-ready network solutions.”
Ahmed Ali Al-Ebrahim, CEO of GCCIA, said:“ Our continued partnership with Batelco by Beyon reflects our shared dedication to enhancing connectivity and building a more resilient digital ecosystem across the Gulf.”
Syria’ s Ministry of Tourism signs Digital Transformation agreement with KSA’ s Elm
The Syrian Ministry of Tourism has signed a technical co-operation agreement with Elm, a pioneer in digital solutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in a move aimed at accelerating institutional reform and embedding data governance standards across the tourism sector.
Under the partnership, Elm will work alongside the ministry to design advanced frameworks for smart archiving, records management and structured data systems. The initiative is expected to streamline internal processes, strengthen transparency, enhance information flow and improve decision-making mechanisms within the ministry.
The agreement marks a further step in the ministry’ s administrative modernisation programme, aimed at replacing legacy systems and strengthening institutional capacity. By streamlining processes and enhancing governance, the ministry seeks to improve efficiency and position the tourism sector for sustainable, long-term growth.
It also aligns with the broader Digital Transformation roadmap, which prioritises modern information infrastructure, stronger governance frameworks and operational excellence as key drivers of competitiveness and sector resilience.
H. E. Mazen Al Salhani, Minister of Tourism, said:“ Our objective is not merely to follow Digital Transformation, but to lead it within the tourism ecosystem. Institutional reform must begin inside the government itself. We intend for the Ministry of Tourism to serve as a national benchmark for digital governance, setting standards that extend across the wider tourism economy, from hospitality operators to investors and strategic partners.”
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