Beyon reported that its selection by the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (KAPP) as the Winning Investor for the Fixed Telecommunications Network Development Project in Kuwait.
The announcement made in Kuwait by KAPP is the next step in providing plans to set up a project company based on a 50-year Public Private Partnership agreement, while Beyon will design, finance, construct, run, and preserve the nationwide and high-speed fiber broadband network in Kuwait with a total investment of more than $2.8 billion throughout the period of the agreement.
KAPP will be a majority shareholder in the project company, which will be formed to undertake the project with a 60 percent share, whereas Beyon will be a minority shareholder with 40 percent. When the project is fully operational, KAPP will IPO a portion of the shares to be subscribed by Kuwaiti citizens.
The project is one of the biggest national infrastructure developments in Kuwait and a great milestone of the Beyon Group in the region. The partnership will implement a high-speed fiber network throughout the country, covering 90 percent of plots available in Kuwait.
The network will accommodate 10Gbps symmetrical connectivity by meeting the PPP requirements, which will provide a reliable and future-proofed digital capacity to households, enterprises, and governmental organizations.
This project will be the foundation of the digital transformation strategy of Kuwait and will be part of one of the pillars of Kuwait’s Vision 2035.
The project is awarded after a stringent qualification and tender procedure, and Beyon was chosen over a number of the best international competitors and had fulfilled the technical and compliance specifications of the project.
Notably, the proposal was designed completely in-house by Beyon’s teams, indicating the Group’s technical capability and leadership in fiber network transformation.
The submission of Beyon was enhanced by the fact that it is already experienced in deploying large-scale fiber in several markets in countries such as Bahrain, Jordan, the Maldives, and the Channel Islands.
The Group has successfully provided over 2.2 million connections through the home-passed within its operating companies and fiber coverage in the Kingdom of Bahrain at 95.4 percent.
Another important factor in the bid was the experience of Beyon in terms of the structural separation of Batelco by Beyon and the creation of Bahrain Network (BNET) as an independent wholesale enterprise in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
That transition reflected the capability of the Group to carry out complicated brown field transitions, migrations of systems, and regulatory compliance programs without service continuity.
In his address, Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chairman of Beyon Group, said, “We are honoured to be selected as the Winning Investor for a project of such national significance to the State of Kuwait. We extend our appreciation to KAPP and the Ministry of Communications for the confidence placed in Beyon. This achievement reinforces our commitment to enabling advanced digital infrastructure across the region and demonstrates the strength of regional capabilities in delivering projects of strategic national importance.”
He added, “This milestone also builds on the progressive transformation of Bahrain’s telecommunications sector under the vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister. Their leadership has supported the Kingdom’s comprehensive development and infrastructure modernization, laying the foundations that have ultimately positioned our Group to contribute meaningfully to national digital infrastructure initiatives beyond our home market.”
Andrew Kvaalseth, CEO of Beyon Group, commented: “This achievement is the result of two years of dedicated effort by our teams. Our selection as Winning Investor demonstrates our engineering strength and operational capability, and executional readiness. Our digital-first operating model, strong go-to-market readiness, and proven retail and wholesale track record were key differentiators in the tender process. In addition, our experience from the structural separation of BNET as a standalone entity has provided us with practical insight into managing large-scale fiber infrastructure under a national regulatory framework. We are fully prepared to move forward with implementation and to establish the new Project Company in line with the concession requirements.”
After the announcement of the agreement, Beyon will now be ready to go to the next stage of the process, where all requirements are made to facilitate the timely flow of the project.
The Group will remain closely coordinated with KAPP and the Kuwait Ministry of Communications to ensure that they align themselves with the objectives of the programme and their implementation readiness.
