Telecom projects position Iraq for regional data gateway – Shafaq News

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s recent telecommunications projects mark a major
step toward positioning the country as a regional communications hub and an
international data transit corridor, Communications Minister Mustafa Sanad said
on Wednesday.

Speaking at the opening of the third Iraq Telecom
Summit, Sanad presented the ministry’s modernization program, launched after he
took office, to expand digital infrastructure and improve internet services
nationwide. The initiative includes providing free internet access at holy
shrines, along roads serving Arbaeen pilgrims, at border crossings, and in
other public locations.

He highlighted the expansion of Iraq’s fiber-optic
network and increased internet capacity to improve service quality, affirming
that the ministry will continue upgrading telecommunications infrastructure,
extending fiber-optic coverage, and modernizing internet systems across the
country.

The ministry signed an agreement with Qatar-based GBI
on June 25 to market cross-border internet transit capacity through the Civilizations Road Project. Sanad previously revealed that Iraq had received
its first foreign-currency payment under the deal, which is intended to
strengthen the country’s position as a regional gateway for international data
traffic.

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