Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) has signed in Hong Kong an agreement that included 17 global operators in the Middle East, Asia and Europe to build and maintain a new submarine cable called AAE-1 with very high capacity to link the countries of the Far East to Europe through the Middle East and Africa.

Amer Mowafi, SEVP, wholesale and carrier services, represented Mobily in signing this agreement.

This submarine cable covers a distance of 25,000 km that starts from Hong Kong and ends in France, and it will be the first submarine cable linking the Far East with Europe at the possible lowest rate of delay and high transfer capacities ranging up to more than 40 terabits, which will contribute significantly to the growth of the business volume in the countries passing through.

Khalid Al- Kaf, Mobily’s MD and CEO, said: "Today, we are living in the transformation phase that will shift Mobily from a telecom company to data services provider. Today, we are building a brighter future for the company and our customers, as these agreements will have a significant impact on the achievement of this goal.”

He added: “We are delighted to be part of a constellation of the largest companies in the region that have signed the agreement and I would like to thank all the friends in other telecommunications companies on the great work they have done to make this agreement a reality and we are waiting to see the new submarine cable after two years from now."

The submarine cable is expected to be completed in 2016 and it will connect Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Yemen, Djibouti, Egypt , Greece, Italy and France.