Qnbn partners with Ericsson to shape the future of broadband in Qatar

The agreement, which was signed during the ITU Telecom World event held in Dubai, is described as the largest of its kind for Ericsson in Qatar will begin rolling out immediately. It will also facilitate competitive, high speed broadband services in Qatar through the deployment of Ericsson's Fiber Optic Solution, Fiber Cables and Central offices. Qnbn will deploy a passive network infrastructure, providing equal and open access to operators to offer choice for the end-user and efficiently leveraging existing and new infrastructure in Qatar.

"Qnbn represents a bold step forward in Qatar's drive to be a leading knowledge based economy and continuous access to a high-speed network is essential for economic development and innovation," said Mohamad Al-Mannai, Qnbn's Chief Executive Officer. "Together with Ericsson we hope to be able to enrich connectivity in Qatar and continue to provide an ideal environment for business development and economic growth."

"Having high speed broadband access with faster connectivity has become a major component for today's Networked Society," said Ray Hassan, President, Ericsson Gulf Council Countries (GCC). "We are excited to work with Qnbn in Qatar to help turn the Networked Society vision further into reality."

Qatar's government established Qnbn in 2011 to accelerate the rollout of a nationwide high-speed, accessible broadband Fiber to the Home network. Qnbn aims to provide fiber access to citizens and businesses across Qatar, achieving coverage targets of 95 percent across Qatar. The resulting high-speed broadband connectivity will enable the effective use of multimedia and communications applications that are central to developing Qatar's knowledge based economy.