Batelco has announced it will invest $16 million (BD6.8m) over the next 12 months to deliver phase 3 of NGN (Next Generation Network) services across the Kingdom of Bahrain. This is the final phase of a $57 million (BD21.8m) investment to complete the ambitious Batelco project to deliver automated Broadband access to all residences in the Kingdom and make Bahrain the first country in the world with complete countrywide broadband. The NGN will facilitate triple play (Voice, Data & Video) services on a single line which traditionally only carried voice telephone services.
Work on the new infrastructure is already complete and the task to migrate services to the new network has begun. Thirty thousand lines out of 200,000 are already connected to Batelco’s NGN or 21st Century Network, with the final connections scheduled to be completed by July of next year.
“Batelco’s NGN will deliver our promise to bring affordable broadband access to all of Bahrain’s households and enable an e-lifestyle for all residents sharing information, education and entertainment” said Batelco Chief Executive Peter Kaliaropoulos.
“Currently, only some of the Kingdom’s residents are enjoying the benefits of an e-lifestyle with shopping online and distance learning widely used, but the completion of our project will deliver these and other conveniences to the great majority.”
With the recent launch of the e-government payment gateway in Bahrain, residents can now pay their electricity & water bills and traffic fines without leaving their homes. Plans are in place to introduce a number of additional e-government services in the near future which will speed up numerous processes, and make standing in queues for some services a thing of the past.
The possibilities are endless and Batelco is proud to play such a major part in accommodating the increasingly sophisticated communications demands from Bahrain’s residents. The completed project will put Batelco’s customers among the best connected in the world.
“We are pleased to be able to announce the completion of such a major infrastructure investment for the benefit of Bahrain’s consumers and businesses, almost two years ahead of schedule. Such investments not only directly contribute to the Kingdom’s economy but further improve Bahrain’s competitiveness and position the Kingdom as a natural choice for communications intensive companies to locate their regional headquarters,” said Mr. Kaliaropoulos.
