Iraq begins marketing internet transit capacity and receives its first payment in hard currency.
Iraq begins marketing internet transit capacity and receives its first payment in hard currency.
2026-06-25
Shafaq News – Baghdad
On Thursday, Communications Minister Mustafa Sand announced an agreement with the Qatari company GBI to market cross-border (transit) internet capacities through the “Road of Civilizations” project, confirming the receipt of the first financial payment in hard currency within the project.
Sand said, in a statement seen by Shafaq News Agency, that the agreement was concluded according to the long-term right of use (IRU) system for leasing fibers from the optical fiber network, noting that this is the first time this model has been adopted in Iraq.
He explained that the land route extending from Al-Faw to Rabia connects the data traffic coming from Asia and the Arabian Gulf towards Europe via Turkey, which contributes to reducing the response time (latency) compared to traditional sea routes.
He added that the contract represents a practical step to activate Iraq’s geographical position as an international digital corridor, noting that requests were received from Gulf countries during the past week to benefit from the project.
The Minister of Communications confirmed that Iraq has received the first payment in hard currency as part of the agreement.
shafaq.com
