Iraq signs transit internet capacity deal with Qatar's GBI

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Communications Minister Mustafa Sind said on Thursday that the country has signed an agreement with Qatar-based GBI to market cross-border internet capacity. The deal, signed under the Iron Silk Road project, marks the first time Iraq has used a long-term usage-rights system to lease fiber-optic lines, according to the minister. Sind said Iraq has received its first foreign-currency payment under the agreement. He added that Gulf states submitted requests within the past week to benefit from the project, describing the arrangement as a concrete step toward activating Iraq's position as an international digital transit hub. The minister said the terrestrial fiber route running from Fav to Rabia carries data traffic from Asia and the Gulf to Europe through Turkey, reducing latency compared with maritime cable routes. No further details on the agreement's duration, capacity volumes or financial terms were immediately available.