STC announces agreement with AT&T and NavLink to deploy advanced Global Data MPLS Node in Saudi Arabia
Provisioning of the node, is well advanced and it is scheduled to be operational by the first half of 2007. The announcement was made at GulfComm ’06 in Dubai.
The advanced data Node from AT&T will allow AT&T and NavLink customers to directly interconnect to STC’s nationwide Multi-Protocol Lab Switching (MPLS) network – the largest and most advanced MPLS network in the Middle East region.
STC customers will benefit from being able to access AT&T’s global network one of the world’s most advanced and powerful global data backbone infrastructures, carrying 7.6 petabytes of traffic on an average business day to nearly every continent and country, with up to 99.999 percent availability.
Upon completion of the node and interconnection of the AT&T network with STC’s national MPLS Network, AT&T and NavLink will be better able to respectively serve the global enterprise customer’s requirements for service in Saudi Arabia as well as Saudi national customer’s requirements for service in the rest of the world.
This agreement compliments NavLink and AT&T’s regional strategy to interconnect and deploy AGN infrastructure with the best of breed local partners and follows other similar agreements in the region.
Increasingly Saudi companies are looking to globalise their operations and the deal announced today means that STC will be able to offer them access to one of the most advanced and robust worldwide communications infrastructures along with an advanced portfolio of managed data services.
Mr. Saud Al Daweesh, STC President said:
Geoff Webster, AT&T Vice President for Strategy and Business Development welcomed today’s agreement. ‘Saudi Arabia is one of the key economies in the Middle East region and STC have a very progressive next generation network investment programme. This deal gives AT&T and NavLink customers an opportunity to benefit from this investment and in return allows STC to offer its customers true seamless, global connectivity.’
George Chammas, Co-President of NavLink said ‘We’re extremely pleased to be part of this agreement, in which STC,AT&T and Navlink have partnered together. This initiative will leverage STC’s dominant presence in Saudi Arabia, AT&T’s global reach and NavLink’s knowledge and wide area network solution expertise. Customers will benefit from a wide portfolio of state-of-the-art products and services that address their telecommunication needs.’
