Cisco has agreed to build a multi-million dollar internet datacenter in Bahrain as the country seeks to establish itself as "the IT hub for the middle east.
"As part of Cisco's ongoing commitment to the region, the company will establish an Internet data center based in Bahrain which will serve as a regional hub for Cisco's ICT services.
The hub will support the delivery of multiple services and technologies including Cisco TelePresence and Cisco's Unified Communications solutions to company offices in the region, the company said in a statement.
The networking firm also plans to establish an office and expand recruitment in the kingdom.
"These initiatives will strengthen our cooperation with global technology providers through a stronger local presence to grow the ICT industry in the Kingdom of Bahrain and will help pave the way to attract direct foreign investments, a long-standing strategic objective of the government, said H.E. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Atiyat Allah Al Khalifa.
Paul Mountford, vice president for emerging markets at Cisso praised the government's efforts in developing and liberalizing the telecommunications sector. He commented: "Bahrain's progressive regulatory environment has fuelled the growth of vital economic sectors, including telecoms.