FLAG Telecom to carry F1 content from Bahrain to the rest of the world

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About FLAG Telecom
FLAG Telecom, a member company of the Reliance Group, has an established customer base of more than 180 leading operators, including all of the top ten international carriers. FLAG owns and manages an extensive optical fibre network spanning four continents and connecting key business markets in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the USA. FLAG also owns and operates a low latency global MPLS based IP network, which connects most of the world's principal international Internet exchanges. FLAG offers a focused range of global products, including global bandwidth, IP, Internet, Ethernet and Co-location services. In the first international acquisition by the Group, FLAG Telecom became a Reliance Group company on 12 January 2004.

About Reliance Infocomm
Reliance Infocomm Ltd., India's largest mobile service provider, is a part of the Reliance Group founded by Shri Dhirubhai H. Ambani (1932-2002). Reliance Infocomm has established a pan-India, high-capacity, integrated (wireless and wireline) and convergent (voice, data and video) digital network, to offer services spanning the entire Infocomm value chain - infrastructure, services for enterprises and individuals, applications and consulting. The Reliance Group is India's largest business house with total revenues in the financial year ended March 2003 of Rs 800 billion (US$16.8 billion), cash profit of over Rs 98 billion (US$2.1 billion), net profit of over Rs 47 billion (US$990 million), market capitalisation Rs 974 billion (US$21.7 billion) and exports of Rs 119 billion (US$2.5 billion).

About Batelco
Batelco is well known as Bahrain's telecommunications company and is recognised as a world-class communications and information organisation. Established in 1981 as a Bahraini shareholding company, Batelco has been an integral part of the Kingdom's economic growth and modern development for more than 20 years. The state-of-the-art services provided by Batelco have been one of the key factors which have made Bahrain - The Intelligent Kingdom - an attractive business base both for regional and international companies and for foreign investors.

Batelco is proud of the part it has played in efficiently establishing Bahrain as the leading regional financial centre and the communications hub of the Arabian Gulf. Its activities are not limited to the local market but an active participation in key investment initiatives ensures it is a key partner in developing regional and international communications between GCC states and other countries. These developments are part of Batelco's vision of being a "world-class provider of integrated communications solutions".

On the home front its 95% Bahraini workforce actively participates in community projects and Batelco is a major contributor to local initiatives. The company is a significant sponsor of sporting events, annually donating many hundreds of thousands of dinars in sponsorship to Bahrain-based events and activities.