CASE STUDY
Intelligent CIO spoke to Adel Al-Daylami,
Chief Global Business Officer at Batelco, to
ask further questions.
LOW LATENCY,
WHEN COUPLED
WITH RELIABLE
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ENABLES A
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USE CASES.
What were the main reasons you
decided to select Ciena’s Converged
Packet Optical Platform as the
foundation for the new Batelco
Global Network?
We have selected Ciena’s Converged Packet
Optical Platform as the foundation for
the new BGN as it is a leader in providing
future-proof technology to meet the growing
demand of our customers.
and management information. The
enhanced multiplexing capability of OTN
allows different traffic types – including
Ethernet, storage and digital video, as well
as SONET/SDH – to be carried over a single
Optical Transport Unit frame.
OTN’s cost-effectiveness, ease of
implementation and simplicity offer
companies a straightforward, painless
solution to evolving network needs.
In addition to scaling the network to 100G
and beyond, OTN plays a key role in making
the network an open and programmable
platform, enabling transport to become
as important as computing and storage in
intelligent data centre networking.
Furthermore, Ciena’s expertise enables us
to achieve our vision and commitment in
ensuring BGN is a reliable alternative to more
vulnerable submarine cables, all with scalable
capacity and the shortest inter-Gulf latency.
We strongly believe this partnership
caters for the growing digital economy,
which is underpinned by the efforts of
the Kingdom of Bahrain and the GCC in
the field of communications. Batelco’s
comprehensive plans are designed to support
the establishment of a robust national and
international infrastructure.
We are committed to strengthening our
delivery to contribute towards Bahrain's
presence as a major ICT hub, and we hope to
build on this platform to ensure future success.
Has Batelco seen an increase in
demand for high-speed connectivity
services? If so, what are the reasons
behind this?
Consumers and businesses across
the GCC are consuming more OTT
(Over-The-Top) content such as
HD videos and services from
local and international providers,
driving demand for additional
high-speed connectivity services.
Additionally, the Middle East
telecom sector is witnessing
an exponential growth of
opportunities for operators to
transform their revenue models
through the introduction of new and
innovative digital services related to
data, content, OTT communications, IoT,
5G, eCommerce, mobile payments or
managed services.
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However, in order to create these new
revenue streams, service providers need
to build the platform on which they can
deploy cutting-edge technologies with
guaranteed speed, performance, reliability
and scalability.
Can you explain the importance
of the Batelco Global Network
to Bahrain?
We are the leading digital solutions
provider in the Kingdom of Bahrain with
a commitment to enhance customer
experience. At Batelco we serve both the
corporate and consumer markets through
the delivery of cutting-edge fixed and
wireless telecommunications solutions. Our
comprehensive portfolio of solutions for
the residential, business and government
segments in Bahrain include all IP fixed and
4G LTE wireless Home Internet networks, 5G
and MPLS based regional data solutions.
Batelco’s digitisation and connectivity goals
are in line with those of the Kingdom of
Bahrain to transform how businesses operate
as well as transform the lives of residents,
enabling everyone to connect, work and live
better through the delivery of technology-
based products and solutions. With an on-
going commitment to roll out Smart Home
and Smart City digital solutions, Batelco
is playing a crucial role in the Kingdom’s
prosperity and development.
Why is the BGN a reliable alternative
to more vulnerable submarine cables?
The BGN features alternative pathways for
submerged underwater routes, and with the
introduction of the protection enhancement,
customers can enjoy high reliable worry-
free solutions allowing them to run their
operations smoothly and facilitating the
introduction of new and innovative services.
What is the importance of having
‘the shortest inter-Gulf latency’?
Low latency, when coupled with reliable
and scalable capacity, enables a myriad of
new use cases, especially as applications
are increasingly migrating to the cloud
data centres, so having the lowest latency
allows operators to differentiate their service
offerings, while allowing end-users to benefit
from and leverage the improved overall
network performance. n
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