Batelco and Qareeb partner to launch Bahrain’s first edge data centre

Batelco by Beyon and Qareeb Data Centres have signed a strategic partnership agreement to launch Bahrain’s first edge data centre, according to a statement issued on Tuesday (13 January 2026).

The agreement was signed by Hani Askar, chief global business officer at Batelco, and Annemarie Van Zadelhoff, chief revenue officer at Qareeb Data Centres. The signing was attended by Batelco chief executive Maitham Abdulla and Qareeb chairman Bruce Jennings.

Under the partnership, Qareeb will manage and operate its first edge data centre through a long-term lease of Batelco’s newly announced facility. The arrangement will enable Qareeb to provide sovereign, low-latency and AI-ready co-location services for enterprises, cloud service providers and digital platforms across the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The companies said the agreement marks the transition of the project from completion to operational readiness. It also reflects Batelco’s strategy of extending its data infrastructure through collaboration with industry partners, with a focus on delivering scalable and energy-efficient facilities that meet evolving regional digital requirements.

New facility boosts hosting capacity

The data centre is located within Beyon’s Data Oasis in southern Bahrain and is described as the first edge data centre of its kind in the kingdom. The facility provides 6,000 square metres of scalable space designed to support enterprises and hyperscalers seeking advanced hosting and connectivity solutions.

Askar said the partnership represents an important step in Batelco’s data centre strategy and its efforts to expand across key market segments. He said the new facility reflects Bahrain’s progress in digital transformation and that the collaboration aims to deliver secure, reliable and future-ready infrastructure for enterprise and government customers.

Van Zadelhoff said the facility is Qareeb Data Centres’ first operational data centre and represents a milestone for the company. She said the partnership will support the delivery of high-performance, scalable and sovereign edge co-location services for cloud providers, artificial intelligence developers and enterprise organisations across the Middle East.

The companies said the partnership supports Bahrain’s ambitions to strengthen its digital infrastructure and reinforces the kingdom’s position as a regional hub for connectivity and innovation.

They added that the new data centre is expected to provide services to customers in Bahrain, across the Middle East and in other markets.