OFN, Ooredoo Group’s international connectivity arm, and Iraqi fibre infrastructure provider iQ Networks signed an agreement for the purchase of multiple dark-fibre pairs for transit connectivity across Iraq. Qatar News Agency (QNA), reporting on October 7, 2026, said the agreement supports the terrestrial component of a planned integrated route linking Asia, the Gulf, Iraq and Europe. Dark fibre is installed optical-fibre capacity that has not yet been lit by an operator; the agreement concerns purchasing that capacity, not the start of data traffic over it.

OFN’s separate arrangement with the Iraqi Telecommunications and Post Company (ITPC) for a landing of the Fibre in Gulf (FIG) subsea cable is complementary to, but distinct from, the iQ Networks agreement. QNA says the planned subsea landing in Iraq and the terrestrial fibre could form a route onward towards Turkiye and Europe. It reports up to 720 Tbps across 24 fibre pairs for the FIG system connecting seven Gulf countries. That figure refers to the planned capacity of the system as a whole, not capacity allocated to the Iraq segment or traffic already carried.

The companies describe the intended route as an additional geographic path for international data and a way to improve route diversity for cloud, content, data-centre, telecom and AI customers. QNA did not specify the fibre length, delivery or commissioning schedule, investment amount or service terms for transit capacity in Iraq. The agreement is therefore an infrastructure procurement and planning step; it does not establish that construction is complete, commercial service has started or a stated capacity is available to customers. Its actual effect can be assessed only after the route is built, cross-border links are activated and traffic is measured.

Geographic route diversity can reduce the risk that a fault or maintenance event in one country or infrastructure segment affects the whole connection, but the result depends on network design and operational redundancy. This is an intended benefit described by the companies, not a measured resilience outcome. Iraq’s prospective role as a transit hub can create economic value only if cross-border links, permits and operating arrangements, the subsea landing and terrestrial fibre work together.

Turning the agreement into commercial capacity requires intermediate steps such as lighting the fibre, integrating subsea and terrestrial sections, and securing cross-border permissions. QNA gives no timetable for these steps, so the deal is not described as an operating service or near-term capacity increase.