"JONAH" new 2,300 km submarine cable is capable of carrying over 7 Terabit/s of data

London, 24 January 2012 – Bezeq International, Israel's leading Internet and international telecoms provider, has selected Interoute Communications Ltd, owner and operator of Europe's largest cloud services platform, to expand its physical network right into the heart of Europe.  "JONAH"- the 2,300km submarine cable - will connect Israel to Europe using Interoute’s pan-European fibre optic network from the Interoute landing station in Bari, Italy.

This strategic project gives Israel true telecommunication independence, thanks to this new Bezeq International owned cable "JONAH".  Interoute’s landing station in Bari, Italy was chosen because it gave the ability to directly interconnect with Interoute’s network, and opens up possible business opportunities with the major operators already connected to Interoute’s network looking to reach Israel and the rest of the Middle East directly.  "JONAH", Bezeq International's advanced cable is equipped with two optical fibre pairs, which gives it a potential capacity of over 7 Terabit/s. This newly available capacity will improve the Internet infrastructure in Israel and help eliminate the bottleneck in connections abroad.

Isaac Benbenisti, Bezeq International's CEO has commented: “Our cooperation with Interoute enables us to take a significant step in the development of our international infrastructure to better serve Israeli as well as global customers.  Interoute's network offers us flexible access to an extensive pan-European footprint, empowering our ability to deliver the best performance and set new standards of Internet service in Israel and the region.”

Gareth Williams, Interoute's CEO has commented: “This new submarine cable brings digital Europe and Israel closer together. We are extremely proud to be a part of this new ‘Internet super highway’, which will play an active role in the development of business in the Middle East and North Africa. This project highlights Interoute’s expertise in developing and managing networks for partner businesses. Through this agreement Bezeq International has access to the massive size and scale of Interoute’s advanced fibre optic network, creating a virtual pan European network for Bezeq and its customers that’s available instantly”.