A new chapter in Gulf connectivity is taking shape beneath regional waters as Ooredoo Group and UAE telecom operator du move ahead with plans to land the Fibre in the Gulf (FIG) subsea cable system in the UAE, deepening the region’s push to become a global digital transit hub.
The FIG network is being positioned as the largest subsea cable project ever undertaken across the GCC. Built to carry as much as 720 terabits per second through 24 fibre pairs, the system is designed to handle the swelling traffic generated by hyperscalers, cloud computing giants, AI platforms and fast-expanding data centres across the Middle East.
The cable route stretches across Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and Oman, creating a dense digital corridor intended to accelerate high-speed data movement between the Gulf, Europe and Asia.
The initiative is being spearheaded by Ooredoo Fibre Networks (OFN), the group’s newly formed entity dedicated to international connectivity and subsea infrastructure. The business is led by CEO Khalid Al Hamadi and serves as the focal point for Ooredoo’s expanding ambitions in cross-border digital infrastructure.
By integrating the UAE landing through du’s cable station, the project gains additional routing flexibility and network resilience, giving operators alternative paths for international traffic and reducing vulnerability to disruptions.
Ooredoo Group CEO Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo said the FIG project reflects the company’s long-term strategy to invest in infrastructure capable of supporting the region’s evolving digital economy. He noted that the partnership with du advances the rollout of the system while reinforcing the Gulf’s role in global connectivity networks.
For du, the project aligns with the UAE’s ambition to strengthen its standing as a worldwide centre for cloud services, AI and digital commerce.
CEO Fahad Al Hassawi said the cable landing would significantly enhance the UAE’s international connectivity capabilities while supporting the demands of hyperscalers, enterprises and emerging digital ecosystems that require higher levels of scale, performance and redundancy.
Once completed, FIG is expected to provide a major boost to cross-border data exchange capacity and help underpin the next phase of cloud, AI and digital service expansion across the Gulf region.
