**Batelco in line with set plans to expand its global reach further**

Batelco Bahrain’s leading integrated communications’ solutions provider has announced that it has selected datamena, the carrier neutral data centre and connectivity platform based in the UAE and serving the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, to deploy a point-of-presence (PoP).

Batelco has chosen datamena because it acts as a hub where regional and international carriers are present, which makes it easy to interconnect and provide different services. The deployment will serve Batelco Bahrain and the Batelco Group.

Batelco Chief Global Business Officer Adel Al-Daylami said: “Batelco is honoured to partner with an established platform like datamena. Our new PoP guarantees that our customers will have access to more options and an enhanced portfolio of global services, as we intend to offer services like International Private Leased Circuit (IPLC), Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) layer 2 and 3, and Ethernet over SDH (EoSDH).

Additionally, du Chief Commercial Officer Fahad Al Hassawi said: “We are delighted to welcome Batelco Bahrain into datamena. As the leading integrated communications’ solutions provider, Batelco will provide more options for reliable services to datamena customers. On the other hand, Batelco will benefit from the ecosystem of carriers, content and cloud providers to enable new services and improve end-user experience.”

Furthermore, this collaboration will also enable Batelco to further develop its portfolio of modern and innovative solutions such as cloud and managed services and other data intensive services. In line with Batelco’s expansion plans, the new PoP allows Batelco easy access by facilitating further interconnectivity with other carriers, thus extending it to Batelco’s global network.

Launched by du in 2012 and based in the UAE, datamena offers customers a secure platform of collocation, connectivity, infrastructure and expertise, to help them grow across the Middle East and the world. It presents a significant opportunity for customers looking to expand upon their global footprint, and acts as a growth accelerator for digital businesses both in the UAE and the Gulf region.

Batelco has played a pivotal role in the country’s development as a major communications hub and today is the leading integrated communications’ provider, continuing to lead and shape the local consumer market and the enterprise ICT market.