Quick information about the National Internet Project

Disclaimer: All the information below is information derived from the official website of the project and what is mentioned in the conference launch of the FTTH project on February 15, 2021 in Baghdad and the blog does not include our support or criticism INSM as we might blog separately our comments on the project.

What is the national project of the Internet? according to the official website of the project, the national project of the Internet “is one of the largest projects that Iraq has seen in the field of information technology and the Internet, as the cable consists of a modern fiber network of multi-layer from Arabian gulf to the Iraqi-Turkish border (4000 kilometers) through all provinces, districts and villages, thus to be an international internet crossing linking South-West Asia to Europe, and will provide high-speed internet for all Iraqis, and will enter service during the current year” “This project will compete with cables at sea is carrying the Internet from Europe through the Suez Canal and the Arabian Gulf and even coming through the Horn of Africa, thus putting Iraq in the refineries of the leading countries in this field, and will provide a quick solution to the problems of the Internet in Iraq and the region” according to the website. The project is implemented and managed by the Ministry of Communications, represented by the General Company for Information Network Services, and in partnership with both Earthlink Communications and Symphony Communications. Cisco International has supplied the project equipment, equipping advanced and modern functions, which are responsible for technical support and sustaining these devices.

Who is Earth Link? It is a registered Emirati company owned by Iraqis, with a branch in Iraq registered with the Iraqi Companies Registry, specializing in telecommunications and Internet technology investments. Who is Symphony? A registered Iraqi company, specialized in communications technology and Internet investments

The Mission of the Project

• The project is based on the latest technology in the field of optical cable, in partnership with Cisco, to ensure the highest quality standards and to provide the largest data capacities available with the adoption of DWDM technology.
• 109 Exchange point have been built throughout Iraq to ensure the delivery of services to all cities.
• The adoption of large depths up to 3m in the work of the laying of cable, this depth is considered twice the depths considered in all countries of the world, which provides greater protection of the cable, and prevents its intersection with any other infrastructure works.
• In terms of the specifications of the fiber optics used, kornnik, the world’s number one supplier in this field, has been contracted with more than 4,000 km through all the provinces of Iraq.
• Optical cable and the way it transmits information are one of the best environmentally friendly technologies, unlike the electromagnetic waves currently adopted by data transmission.

Project revenues

According to the official website of the project:

• The Iraqi government collects 17% of the project’s total imports (not profits!) For the Ministry of Communications, as well as 20% of total revenue also to the Ministry of Finance as a sales tax. 37% of total revenue represents more than 65% of profits.
• The project will provide a complete infrastructure for the establishment and activation of the E-government, which contributes to simplifying government procedures and connecting all state-owned institutions to a single secure network.
• This project will provide significant revenues to the Iraqi economy, where an international crossing of global data capacity through Iraq will be an important economic resource for the first time, as internet networks in the Gulf region and the Middle East are connected to sea cables, which in turn are connected all over the world, and optical cables pass through the Red Sea and Egypt or extend around the African continent, and because they are sea corridors they have problems and difficulties in repairing cables when any pieces occur, and may take weeks to repair, but the new network will add corridors Onshore to the current cable network, it will also increase the number of routes connecting Europe to the Middle East and the Far East.
• The project will contribute to the development of the industrial, commercial and service sectors in Iraq as the backbone of optical access projects, government electronic projects and data centers, as well as provide thousands of jobs for Iraqi youth working on this project directly or indirectly, and will enable Iraq to keep up with the development in the world by providing high-speed internet and competitive prices.
• The project will increase Iraq’s GDP in line with the speed of the Internet, according to several studies and data from the World Bank and many other relevant organizations.
• The project also provides the basic infrastructure for mobile operators to provide 3G services and subsequent generations.
• Providing secure infrastructure for the security and defense sectors by equipping 6 light bristles and a length of 4000 km for the security and defense system, completely separated from any equipment for the project, and will provide infrastructure ready for security surveillance camera projects in cities, and will reduce the cost of the work of this system to 70% of the cost of connecting these cameras without the project.
• This project is an added value to Iraq’s national security by creating the interests of all the countries of the world as a result of the passage of these international capacities in Iraq, so it will be the task of the international community to ensure the security and safety of Iraq.

What is the most important information received at the launch of the optical cable conference on February 15, 2021

• There will be compensation for the end user of this project if he/she does not receive the full specifications of his subscription.
• There will be a call center to serve the participants between the executor of the project and the Ministry of Communications
• The project started in 2015 with $170 million invested in the first phase and double that numbers in the rest of the phases
• The start of actual operation in March 2016, the start of initial operation in March 2018 and the start of the first operation of the first 2,000 Iraqi homes in The 716 section of Baghdad (Zayoona) on 15 February 2021
• This service will be provided to 800,000 homes in 2021, 1.9 million and 900,000 in 2022, reaching 2.7 million by 2023 and more than half a billion light cable meters, equivalent to the circumference of the globe, 3 times as described by the project’s executive director Dr. Alaa Jassim.
• According to the project manager, national security will have a role in the follow-up of citizens’ registration in the project and will give each house a special digital identity registered in his name.

Subscriptions

• Subscription with a capacity of 15Mbps at a price of 35,000 Iraqi dinars (24$)
• 40 Mbps subscription priced at 45,000 Iraqi dinars (31$)
• Subscription with a capacity of 75 Mbps at a price of 65,000 Iraqi dinars. (44$)
• Subscription with a capacity of 150 Mbps at a price of 100,000 Iraqi dinars. (68$)

To view the conference in full, watch here Disclaimer: All the information below is information derived from the official website of the project and what is mentioned in the conference launch of the FTTH project on February 15, 2021 in Baghdad and the blog does not include our support or criticism INSM as we might blog separately our comments on the project.