Ooredoo signs cable landing deals with Kuwait and Iraq
17 March 2025
Doha-headquartered Ooredoo Group has signed agreements with Kuwait and Iraqi authorities for its fibre-optic submarine cable network Fibre in the Gulf's (FIG) first two landing points.
Ooredoo Group signed an administrative license agreement with Kuwait's Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (Citra) on 13 March and with Iraqi Telecommunications and Post Company (ITPC) on 16 March, according to local media reports.
FIG will have 16 fibre pairs and a capacity of up to 480 terabytes per second (tbps), creating "a high-capacity, fully integrated subsea network connecting all GCC countries and beyond".
According to Ooredoo, the FIG cable is set to start service in Q4 2027.
In January, Ooredoo Group signed an agreement to build a new submarine cable connecting seven countries in the region with France’s Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN).
In addition to Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq, FIG will link Oman, the UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Ooredoo said in January that the project will provide all GCC states with a “low-latency, shorter and secure route” to a new corridor connecting Europe with up to 24 fibre pairs and a capacity of up to 720 tbps.
It is unclear if the capacity published this March – 16 fibre pairs with a capacity of 480tbps – comprises first phase of the overall project, or if the total capacity has been revised downwards.
Ooredoo is ramping up investment to secure its role as a leading digital infrastructure provider in the region.
Recent initiatives cover AI, data centres, submarine cable systems, fintech and Internet of Things technologies.
Last year, its subsidiary, Ooredoo Oman, signed an agreement to land the 2Africa Cable System in Barka and Salalah in Oman.
In September last year, Ooredoo signed QR2bn ($546.2m) of financing from three local banks to expand its data centre network.
Qatar National Bank, Doha Bank and Masraf Al-Rayan agreed to provide the 10-year financing facility to help expand the firm’s existing data centre network to meet demand for future AI applications.
The financing deal comes three months after Nvidia signed a deal to deploy its AI technology at data centres owned by Ooredoo in Qatar and five other countries: Algeria, Tunisia, Oman, Kuwait and the Maldives.
Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.
Exclusive from Meed
-
Saudi Arabia and Turkiye sign railway agreements10 June 2026
-
-
-
-
Contractor puts Tadawul IPO on hold9 June 2026
All of this is only 1% of what MEED.com has to offer
Subscribe now and unlock all the 153,671 articles on MEED.com
- All the latest news, data, and market intelligence across MENA at your fingerprints
- First-hand updates and inside information on projects, clients and competitors that matter to you
- 20 years' archive of information, data, and news for you to access at your convenience
- Strategize to succeed and minimise risks with timely analysis of current and future market trends
Related Articles
-
Saudi Arabia and Turkiye sign railway agreements
10 June 2026
Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access
Saudi Arabia and Turkiye have signed two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the railway and logistics sectors, advancing Riyadh’s ambitions to become a global logistics hub.
Transport and Logistics Services Minister Saleh Al-Jasser and Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu signed the agreements at the ministry’s headquarters in Riyadh on 9 June, following ministerial talks held with a high-level Turkish delegation. Transport General Authority president Fawaz Al-Sahli and officials from the kingdom’s transport and logistics sector were also present.
Agreement scope
The first MoU covers logistics services and operations, including the exchange of expertise, policies and regulations. The second focuses on railway technologies, signalling and communication systems, railway digitalisation, human capacity development, the localisation of the railway industry and measures to reduce the sector’s environmental impact.
More broadly, the agreements cover cooperation on railway standards and related innovations, the exchange of expertise on the design, operation and maintenance of rail projects, and engineering, infrastructure and safety standards.
The two sides will also cooperate on research and development, with provision for joint workforce training through specialist railway academies.
Riyadh said the agreements will help support its National Strategy for Transport and Logistics Services and Saudi Vision 2030, which seeks to position the kingdom as a logistics bridge connecting three continents.
Turkish projects
Turkish contractors have already established themselves as key players in the region’s rail sector. In 2012, Yapi Merkezi secured a $2.1bn contract for work on the Haramain high-speed rail network in Saudi Arabia, while Turkish firms Mapa and Limak are leading the ongoing civil works on Dubai’s $5.5bn Metro Blue Line project as part of a China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) consortium. Turkish consultancy Proyapi Muhendislik ve Musavirlik Anonim Sirketi has also won design contracts for the 111km Kuwait National Rail Road project.
The agreements signed by Saudi Arabia and Turkiye may also give momentum to longstanding discussions around a rail corridor linking the GCC with Turkiye. The route, which has been discussed for years, has gained renewed impetus in recent months as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed regional governments to accelerate the development of overland trade alternatives.
READ THE JUNE 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFGCC looks beyond the Strait; Iraq’s reform window narrows as fiscal assumptions shatter; MEED Top 100 companies.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the June 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> AGENDA: Gulf races to reroute trade> EXPORT ROUTES: Regional war boosts oil and gas pipeline project activity> CURRENT AFFAIRS: UAE’s Opec departure fulfils multiple ends> MEED TOP 100: Middle East stocks recover unevenly> LEADERSHIP: Building the infrastructure that makes net zero possible> TRADE DEAL: UK-GCC trade deal talks concludeTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17169958/main.gif -
Joint venture tenders Algeria field development contract
10 June 2026
Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access
Hassi Bir Rekaiz Group (GHBR), which operates Algeria’s Hassi Bir Rekaiz field, has issued a tender for phase 2A of the asset’s field development project.
GHBR is a joint venture of Algeria’s national oil and gas company Sonatrach and Thailand’s national exploration and production company PTTEP.
The scope of the contract focuses on the “provision of engineering and supervision services”, according to documents published by Sonatrach.
The tender has been issued with a bid deadline of 16 June 2026.
In May, GHBR signed a $1.1bn contract for phase two of the Hassi Bir Rekaiz development project.
The contract was won by a consortium of Egypt’s Petrojet and Italian engineering and contracting company Arkad.
Petrojet’s portion of the project was estimated to be worth around $600m, and Arkad’s portion was estimated to be worth $500m.
The contract used the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning model.
The scope of the project contract is focused on the construction of a central processing facility (CPF) capable of processing crude oil and associated gas.
It also includes developing off-plot pipelines, as well as related utilities and infrastructure.
The CPF will have the capacity to process 32,000 barrels a day (b/d) and will be designed to support future expansions.
The related infrastructure will include an extensive pipeline network spanning approximately 217 kilometres, as well as a road network.
READ THE JUNE 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFGCC looks beyond the Strait; Iraq’s reform window narrows as fiscal assumptions shatter; MEED Top 100 companies.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the June 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> AGENDA: Gulf races to reroute trade> EXPORT ROUTES: Regional war boosts oil and gas pipeline project activity> CURRENT AFFAIRS: UAE’s Opec departure fulfils multiple ends> MEED TOP 100: Middle East stocks recover unevenly> LEADERSHIP: Building the infrastructure that makes net zero possible> TRADE DEAL: UK-GCC trade deal talks concludeTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17163750/main3325.jpg -
Algeria extends deadline for urea-formaldehyde project
10 June 2026
Algeria’s national oil and gas company Sonatrach has extended the bid deadline for a project to develop a new concentrated urea-formaldehyde unit in its Arzew industrial zone.
The latest bid deadline is 15 June.
The contract uses the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning model, and the bid deadline for technical tender submissions was originally set for early April.
The condensed urea-formaldehyde unit will be located at the CP1-Z facility.
The CP1-Z facility began operations in 1975 and has a capacity of 152,000 tonnes a year. It produces products including methanol, resin and formol.
It is a two-phase tender. The first phase is a technical bid submission, and the second phase is a commercial bid submission.
To be eligible to win this contract, companies must specialise in petrochemical industrial installation projects.
They also need to have a share capital of at least $7m and more than 15 years of relevant experience.
The new unit, UFC85, will have the capacity to produce 40,000 metric tonnes of concentrated and condensed urea-formaldehyde annually.
The project’s scope also includes the development of auxiliary equipment and installations.
Urea-formaldehyde has a wide range of uses, including the production of laminates, textiles and paper.
In the wood industry, it is used as a thermosetting adhesive to bond wood to create plywood and particleboard. In agriculture, urea-formaldehyde is widely used as a slow-release fertiliser.
READ THE JUNE 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFGCC looks beyond the Strait; Iraq’s reform window narrows as fiscal assumptions shatter; MEED Top 100 companies.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the June 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> AGENDA: Gulf races to reroute trade> EXPORT ROUTES: Regional war boosts oil and gas pipeline project activity> CURRENT AFFAIRS: UAE’s Opec departure fulfils multiple ends> MEED TOP 100: Middle East stocks recover unevenly> LEADERSHIP: Building the infrastructure that makes net zero possible> TRADE DEAL: UK-GCC trade deal talks concludeTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17163657/main.jpg -
Contractors submit prices for Abu Dhabi offshore gas project
10 June 2026
Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access
Contractors have submitted commercial bids to Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) for a major project to develop the Waset offshore gas field, located in Abu Dhabi’s offshore Block 2.
The Waset gas development project involves engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of both offshore and onshore facilities.
The offshore EPC scope includes an offshore jacket, a nine-slot unmanned wellhead platform, over 80 kilometres of subsea pipelines, subsea cables and associated facilities.
Onshore works involve the EPC of new processing facilities on Arzanah Island. The project will leverage Adnoc’s existing infrastructure at Arzanah Island, which also serves as the operating base for its under-construction Dalma gas project.
Adnoc issued the main EPC tender for the Waset gas development project last year. Contractors submitted technical bids for the project by 15 January this year, while commercial bids were submitted on 5 June, sources told MEED.
Adnoc is targeting first gas production from the Waset field by 2027, with an expected output of approximately 180 million cubic feet a day.
Based on the production concession agreement awarded by Abu Dhabi’s Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs (SCFEA) in June 2025, Adnoc is the majority stakeholder in Block 2, with a 60% interest. Italian energy producer Eni and Thailand’s state-owned PTT Exploration & Production Public Company (PTTEP) hold 28% and 12% participating interests, respectively.
Block 2, located about 30km offshore Abu Dhabi city, covers approximately 4,033 sq km in water depths of around 30 metres.
Offshore Block 2 is located to the west of the Ghasha field in Gulf waters, “focusing primarily on conventional gas resources”. Adnoc awarded full exploration rights for Offshore Block 2, along with Offshore Block 1, to the consortium of Eni and PTTEP in January 2019, as part of Abu Dhabi’s first-ever upstream licensing round.
The Eni/PTTEP consortium announced two gas discoveries in Offshore Block 2 in 2022. The first discovery, announced in February of that year, was estimated to hold between 1.5 and 2 trillion cubic feet of gas resources. A second discovery of 1 to 1.5 trillion cubic feet of gas was announced in July, taking the total gas resources found in the asset to 2.5-3.5 trillion cubic feet.
READ THE JUNE 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFGCC looks beyond the Strait; Iraq’s reform window narrows as fiscal assumptions shatter; MEED Top 100 companies.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the June 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> AGENDA: Gulf races to reroute trade> EXPORT ROUTES: Regional war boosts oil and gas pipeline project activity> CURRENT AFFAIRS: UAE’s Opec departure fulfils multiple ends> MEED TOP 100: Middle East stocks recover unevenly> LEADERSHIP: Building the infrastructure that makes net zero possible> TRADE DEAL: UK-GCC trade deal talks concludeTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17158169/main.jpg -
Contractor puts Tadawul IPO on hold
9 June 2026
Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access
Saudi Arabia’s Mutlaq Al-Ghowairi Contracting Company (MGC) has postponed its planned initial public offering (IPO) on the main market of the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul).
The Riyadh-based contractor said it had decided to delay the offering after completing the institutional bookbuilding process and consulting with its financial advisers.
In a statement issued on 9 June, the company said the offering had attracted significant interest from international, regional and local investors.
However, it added: “Following the completion of the institutional book-building process and careful consideration of the objectives and strategic priorities of the company and its selling shareholders, the company has decided to postpone the offering and will continue to evaluate the most appropriate timing to proceed with the offering.”
MGC announced plans in May to float 240 million shares, representing 30% of its issued share capital, through the sale of existing shares by certain shareholders.
Following this, MGC set the price range for its IPO at between SR11 ($2.9) and SR12.5 ($3.3) a share, implying an offer size of SR2.64bn to SR3bn ($704m-$800m).
The transaction was structured as a secondary sale, with MGC not issuing any new shares or receiving proceeds from the offering. Net proceeds were due to be distributed to the selling shareholders.
The planned IPO followed approval from the Capital Market Authority (CMA), which was granted on 31 December last year.
Founded in 1977, MGC specialises in construction, operations and maintenance services. Its core activities include water infrastructure, transport and urban development projects.
The company said it had delivered more than 80 projects over the past five years and reported a backlog of SR10.57bn ($2.8bn) as of 31 March.
MGC said the postponement would not affect its operations or project delivery.
“MGC’s operational and financial fundamentals remain strong, and this decision does not impact the company’s day-to-day operations, client relationships, project delivery, or strategic priorities.”
The company added that it remains committed to its growth strategy and supporting infrastructure projects across Saudi Arabia in line with Vision 2030.
READ THE JUNE 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFGCC looks beyond the Strait; Iraq’s reform window narrows as fiscal assumptions shatter; MEED Top 100 companies.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the June 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> AGENDA: Gulf races to reroute trade> EXPORT ROUTES: Regional war boosts oil and gas pipeline project activity> CURRENT AFFAIRS: UAE’s Opec departure fulfils multiple ends> MEED TOP 100: Middle East stocks recover unevenly> LEADERSHIP: Building the infrastructure that makes net zero possible> TRADE DEAL: UK-GCC trade deal talks concludeTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17158043/main.jpg