The GBI (Gulf Bridge International) is a private submarine cable system connecting the Gulf countries together and provide onward connectivity to the rest of the world.

The GBI Cable System is privately owned by Gulf Bridge International, established in Qatar in December 2008 with an initial investment of $445 million.

The GBI Cable System is designed with a self-healing core ring in the Gulf, with double cable landings at the major terminals of Qatar and Fujairah (UAE) and branched landings in Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, Oman, and onward connectivity to landing in India and Europe as well.

Gulf Bridge International contracts with the following partners as landing parties in corresponding countries:

• Omantel, Oman
• du, UAE,
• Batelco,  Bahrain
• Vodafone Qatar, Qatar
• Ooredoo(formerly Qtel), Qatar
• Kuwait Ministry of Communications, Kuwait
• Saudi Telecom Corporation (STC), Saudi Arabia
• Telecommunication Infrastructure Company of I.R.Iran (TIC), Iran 
• Iraq Telecommunications & Post Company (ITPC) , Iraq. 

The GBI Cable System is the first submarine cable landing in Iraq, at the cable landing station in Al Faw, partnered with the state-owned Iraq Telecommunications & Post Company (ITPC).  GBI cable network reaches Europe through Al Faw and terrestrial cables across Iraq and Turkey.

Gulf Bridge International contracts with Telecommunication Infrastructure Company of I.R.Iran (TIC) to land the GBI cable in Iran, with onward connectivity to many central Asian countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azarbaijan, Armenia and Turkey.

The GBI cable system lands at:

• Al Faw, Iraq
• Kuwait City, Kuwait
• Bushehr, Iran
• Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia
• Al Hidd, Bahrain
• Al Daayen, Qatar (Ooredoo CLS)
• Doha, Qatar (Vodafone Qatar CLS)
• Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
• Al Seeb, Oman
• Mumbai, India

The GBI Cable System was launched in Feb. 2012 with intra-regional connetivity in Gulf, and late 2014 for the whole system.

Additionally, Gulf Bridge International partners with the MENA Submarine Cable System to provide onward connectivity from Oman to India and Western Europe across Egypt. Gulf Bridge International has one fiber pair on the MENA cable from Oman to Mumbai and one fiber pair on the MENA cable from Oman to Italy.

Unfortunately, the MENA submarine cable system was delayed due to permitting issues in Egypt, was not completed until November 2014 after purchasing terrestrial fiber pairs IRU from Telecom Egypt to connect Zaarafana cable landing station and the Abu Talat cable landing station.

In March 2018, Bharti Airtel acquired the ownership of India leg of Gulf Bridge International (GBI) submarine cable, while GBI/MENA cable landing station in Mumbai is owned and operated by Sify Technologies Limited.