New Ooredoo cable system to transform web access in Oman

MUSCAT: Capable of 4,800 HD movie downloads a second, Ooredoo's new underwater cable will transfom web access in Oman.
The 20,000km-long undersea cable capable of transferring data at 24 Terabits per second and connecting 17 countries, will be activated soon, Ooredoo said.
The Southeast-Middle East-Western Europe 5 (SEA-ME-WE 5) submarine cable system will be activated this year and its advanced technology will help meet the growing demand for bandwidth between Europe and Asia.
Installed at its base station in Qalhat in the Governorate of Ash Sharqiyah South, the cable has been developed as a multi-regional data superhighway that will substantially improve data transmission across affected regions and provide extra resilience for internet traffic to Oman.
In an illustration of the cable’s high-speed capabilities, the SEA-ME-WE5 can allow 4,800 high-definition movies to be downloaded per second.
Additionally, it will increase data capacity by almost seven times along the corridor connecting Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Western Europe.
Jim Maxwell, Ooredoo Chief Legal, Regulatory and Wholesale Officer, said, “The SEA ME WE 5 is a step towards realising the future of international cable systems in terms of capacity, diversity and network access for our valued customers. We believe that with SEA ME WE 5 state-of-the-art technology, connectivity with the rest of the world will become a reality, contributing to the social and economic progress and integration of all included regions.”
The new SEA-ME-WE 5 will connect 17 countries across the Middle East, Asia, North Africa and Europe. Construction of the intercontinental undersea cable began in September 2014 and was completed in 2016 and 2017 will see the activation of traffic on the cable.
The project is being developed through a collaboration of 19 leading telecommunications operators from around the world.