Bahrain’s Kalaam Telecom acquires Kuwaiti ISP leader Zajil Telecom to become one of the top ISP providers in the GCC

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – gulftech : Kalaam Telecom, Bahrain’s leading technology solutions provider, has announced the acquisition of Zajil International Telecom Co. (KSCC), one of Kuwait’s longest-established ISP and ICT services companies, with the aim of creating a regional powerhouse which will drive digital transformation in the GCC region and beyond.

The acquisition will create a combined entity with revenue of US$100 million, with data centers in five countries, network Point of Presence (PoPs) in 25 countries, and a subsea and land cable network that connects three continents. Kalaam will be among the top three ISPs in the GCC and will be the only operator with an ISP licence for Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Leveraging its ISP licence in Saudi Arabia, the company will focus on offering a full suite of ICT and managed solutions for enterprises in the kingdom. Kalaam will also be able to offer an expanded international network in the Middle East with the aim of accelerating the digital and cloud journey of businesses in Saudi Arabia, aligned with Vision 2030.

Nezar Al Saie, Chairman of Kalaam Telecom, said: “Kalaam’s acquisition of Zajil Telecom is a testament to our ambitious, resilient growth strategy. Despite the economic challenges that hit the world and our region, Kalaam has sustained its robust organic and acquisition-led expansion plans. We are delighted to acquire Zajil, which is hailed as the leading ISP in Kuwait with a solid customer portfolio, encompassing some of the most prominent enterprises and government institutions. We are also proud of the expansion of Kalaam Telecom shareholders, with the addition of some of the most prominent businessmen in the Gulf region. The acquisition empowers Kalaam to become one of the three largest independent ISPs in the Middle East, and the only one with regional presence in different countries.

“This acquisition is underpinned by our continuous efforts to strengthen our innovative enterprise solutions by investing heavily in cementing our regional digital infrastructure. With the integration of Zajil Telecom into our wider group, Kalaam is boosting its reliable, premium offering of disruptive industry technologies to its current and prospect customers,” he added.

Kalaam’s expanded international footprint for carrier and enterprise customers, through the combination of its terrestrial cable system, KNOT (Kalaam Network Optical Transit), will span 1,400 kms across Kuwait, Bahrain, KSA, UAE and Qatar, and Zajil’s stake in Europe-India Gateway cable (EIG), a 15,000 KM international fiber optic submarine cable system that links 12 countries across three continents.

Moreover, the combined network will provide footprint in 25 countries in MENA, Europe, US and Asia with 53 fully owned Point of Presence (PoPs) to deliver all the product lines, including capacity, DIA, managed solutions, SD-WAN, security and more.

“With the acquisition of Zajil, Kalaam Telecom will be uniquely positioned as the clear market leader, expanding its enterprise solutions across the MENA region, Europe, US and Asia. The combination of services and infrastructure brought together by the Zajil and Kalaam Telecom merger will result in the delivery of more advanced and industry-specific solutions for local, regional and international corporates, businesses and individual customers alike,” said Mohammad Al-Tuwaijri, Chairman, Zajil Telecom.   

The company will continue to serve Zajil’s corporate customer base with specialized consulting and industry specific solutions in banking, oil & gas, retail, telecommunications and transportation verticals, and will also incorporate Zajil’s data centres in Bahrain, Jordan, KSA, UAE and the UK into its portfolio of offerings.

“Corporate customers today require innovative solutions that attend to their continuously evolving business needs, which is where a focused telecom solution provider such as Kalaam comes into play to respond quickly to enterprises with a fully tailored approach. Kalaam’s presence in multiple countries makes it uniquely situated to be the one stop digital solutions provider and a preferred partner to regional and international customers,” said Javier Alvarez, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Delta Partners, the leading telecom management consultancy firm.

Kalaam has grown rapidly, from a privately-owned local operator to become a regional telecom leader serving a broad base of enterprise, wholesale and channel customers. The technology solutions provider serves regional and international enterprise markets, offering cutting edge internet, data, voice, cloud and digital solutions, with offices in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and the UK.

Zajil Telecom was the first ISP in Kuwait and has over 30 years of experience in information and communications technology solutions across MENA. The company is a regional leader in MPLS solutions, with a global customer base and network.