Europe-India Gateway submarine cable launched

The EIG submarine cable was conceived by a 16-member consortium of leading regional and international operators responsible for the construction of the $700 million submarine cable system.

du invested $50 million in the EIG cable system.

"The launch of the Europe-India Gateway Submarine cable system is significant for the UAE, as it helps the country in becoming a centre-point for connectivity in the region," said Farid
Faraidooni, chief commercial officer, du.

EIG consortium members are accepting delivery of more than 11,300 km of the total 15,000 km EIG cable system, which was announced in 2008, and 11 of the 13 cable landing sites.

The only remaining segment to be completed for the EIG is in Egypt where there are two landing sites. When fully activated with the Egypt link, the EIG will be the first direct high-bandwidth optical fibre system from Britain to India.

In addition to complementing existing high-bandwidth cable systems in the region, the EIG will provide much needed diversity for broadband traffic, which currently relies on traditional routes from Europe to India. This diversity is important due to the threat of submarine cable cuts in the region.

In addition to du's UAE site, the accepted active EIG cable landing sites include those in Britain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Monaco, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Oman, India and a terminal site in Marseille, France.