International Connectivity from Bahrain: Performance, Latency and Resilience

By Tony Chacko, Director of Operations, Northstar Telecom

For organisations operating from Bahrain, international connectivity is increasingly part of the critical ICT infrastructure supporting cloud platforms, international data centres, corporate networks and business-critical applications.

Recent events across the Middle East have also reinforced the importance of understanding how that connectivity is delivered. Cable faults, geopolitical disruption and network outages can all affect international routes — sometimes far beyond the location of the original incident.

For ICT leaders, the question is therefore no longer simply one of bandwidth.

Where does the traffic go, what infrastructure does it depend on, what performance can be expected, and what happens when part of that infrastructure becomes unavailable?

These are increasingly important considerations when designing international connectivity from Bahrain.

International Connectivity Is More Than Internet Access

A business may have a fast and highly resilient fibre internet connection in Bahrain, but that doesn’t necessarily provide the optimum network path to a specific international destination.

Public internet traffic may traverse multiple networks and transit providers. Routing is dynamic and the path selected isn’t necessarily the most direct route to the destination.

For general internet access this is entirely appropriate.

For connectivity to a business-critical application, international data centre, cloud environment or corporate network, however, organisations may require greater control over latency, routing, performance and resilience.

This is where dedicated international connectivity becomes relevant.

Latency and Application Performance

One of the principal reasons for establishing dedicated international connectivity is to improve network performance between Bahrain and a specific destination.

Dedicated connectivity can be engineered around the destination and, where available, a more direct or controlled network path.

The result can be lower and more predictable latency compared with reaching the same destination across the public internet.

This can be particularly important for:

• Cloud-hosted enterprise applications
• Financial and transactional platforms
• International data centre connectivity
• Voice and video communications
• Real-time applications
• Enterprise applications hosted outside Bahrain
• Connectivity between regional and international offices

Bandwidth remains important, but for many applications the quality and efficiency of the network path can be equally significant.

Bahrain’s International Connectivity Infrastructure

Bahrain is connected to regional and global telecommunications networks through multiple international submarine cable systems, cable routes and landing infrastructure, providing a number of potential paths into and out of the Kingdom.

This provides an important foundation for designing international connectivity around different requirements for destination, capacity, latency and resilience.

For a senior ICT team, understanding the underlying path can be particularly important.

Two services may appear diverse at the customer premises but ultimately converge onto common carrier infrastructure, landing facilities or international cable routes.

Effective resilience therefore requires consideration of the complete end-to-end architecture.

From International Cable to the Customer

Northstar Telecom designs and delivers international connectivity using regional and international carrier infrastructure, bringing the required capacity from the appropriate international route and landing infrastructure into our data centre network in Bahrain.

From there, Northstar provides the onward connectivity to the customer’s premises or network.

The end-to-end architecture can be viewed simply as:

International Destination → International Cable & Carrier Network → Bahrain Landing Infrastructure → Northstar Data Centre → Customer

This is an important distinction.

An international circuit isn’t simply capacity between two countries. The complete service includes the international route, how that capacity reaches Bahrain, how it is brought into the service provider’s network and how it is subsequently delivered to the customer.

By managing the service through our Bahrain infrastructure and onward to the customer, Northstar can provide end-to-end service accountability rather than leaving the customer to manage separate international and local connectivity components.

Designing for Route and Carrier Diversity

Resilience requires more than ordering a second circuit.

If primary and backup connections ultimately depend on the same carrier infrastructure, landing point, cable system or geographic path, a single failure domain may affect both services.

Depending on the customer’s business continuity requirements, an international connectivity design can therefore consider diversity across:

• International carriers
• Cable systems and routes
• Landing infrastructure
• Geographic paths
• Local access
• Data centre infrastructure
• Cloud connectivity

The objective isn’t necessarily to maximise diversity at every layer.

It is to identify the relevant failure domains and design the network around the level of risk the organisation is prepared to accept.

The Middle East and Network Resilience

The Gulf sits at the crossroads of major communications routes connecting Europe, Asia, Africa and the wider Middle East.

Recent regional events are a useful reminder that international network architecture should form part of business continuity planning.

The objective isn’t to predict where the next disruption will occur.

It is to ensure that critical connectivity has been designed with an appropriate understanding of route dependencies, alternative paths and recovery options before disruption occurs.

For organisations operating across several countries, this can mean looking beyond individual circuits and considering international connectivity as part of the wider ICT resilience architecture.

Connecting Bahrain to International Data Centres and Cloud Environments

Increasingly, the international destination isn’t another corporate office.

Businesses in Bahrain depend on applications and infrastructure hosted in cloud platforms and international data centres across the GCC, Europe, Asia and elsewhere.

For these environments, network architecture can have a direct impact on application performance.

Rather than simply providing general internet access, international connectivity can be designed around a specific destination, capacity, latency and resilience requirement.

This can be particularly valuable where critical applications have moved outside Bahrain but predictable access to those applications remains essential to local operations.

Primary and Backup International Connectivity

Not every organisation requires fully diverse international infrastructure.

For some businesses, a primary connection combined with a well-designed backup service may provide the appropriate balance between resilience and cost.

For organisations supporting critical services, greater carrier, route and landing diversity may be justified.

The important point is that diversity should be designed rather than assumed.

A backup connection should be engineered around the failure it is intended to protect against.

International Connectivity from Northstar Telecom

Northstar Telecom is a licensed telecommunications operator in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

We design and deliver international connectivity using regional and international carrier networks, combining international capacity with our local network and data centre infrastructure to provide an end-to-end service to customers in Bahrain.

Solutions can include:

• Dedicated international connectivity
• International private connectivity
• Point-to-point international links
• Dedicated international capacity
• Connectivity to international data centres and cloud environments
• Primary and backup international connections
• Carrier and route diversity
• Solutions designed around specific latency and resilience requirements

Our starting point isn’t simply the bandwidth required.

It is where the customer needs to connect, the performance the application requires, the underlying network path, the resilience required and how the complete service should be delivered into the customer’s environment.

Start With the Destination

There is no single international connectivity architecture that is right for every organisation.

For ICT leaders reviewing their international connectivity strategy, some of the most useful questions are:

• Where are our critical applications and data actually located?
• What latency do those applications require?
• Which international routes do our existing services use?
• Are our primary and backup services genuinely diverse?
• Where are the common failure domains?
• How long could the business tolerate an international connectivity outage?
• Who has end-to-end responsibility when a service fails?

Answering those questions provides a much stronger basis for network design than simply comparing bandwidth and price.

Building Better International Connections from Bahrain

International connectivity is now fundamental to the operation of many businesses in Bahrain.

As organisations become increasingly dependent on international cloud platforms, data centres, applications and corporate networks, ICT leaders need visibility beyond the local access circuit.

Bandwidth matters. But so do latency, route selection, diversity, resilience and end-to-end accountability.

At Northstar Telecom, we work with organisations to understand those requirements and design international connectivity from the destination through the international network, into our Bahrain infrastructure and onward to the customer.

Better Connections, Smarter Solutions.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is dedicated international connectivity?

Dedicated international connectivity provides a defined connection between a business in Bahrain and a specific overseas destination, such as an international office, data centre, cloud environment or corporate network.

How is dedicated international connectivity different from normal internet access?

Public internet access provides general connectivity using dynamic internet routing. Dedicated international connectivity can be engineered around a specific destination, capacity, network path and performance requirement, providing greater control over latency, routing and resilience.

Can dedicated international connectivity reduce latency?

Yes, where a more direct or controlled network path is available. Actual latency depends on the destination, carrier infrastructure, cable routes and overall network architecture, but dedicated connectivity can provide lower and more predictable latency than reaching the same destination over the public internet.

Why is route diversity important?

Two connections aren’t necessarily diverse simply because they are supplied separately. They may share underlying carrier infrastructure, landing facilities, cable systems or geographic routes. Understanding these dependencies helps organisations design backup connectivity around genuine failure scenarios.

How does Northstar deliver international connectivity in Bahrain?

Northstar works with regional and international carriers to bring international capacity through the appropriate route and landing infrastructure into our data centre network in Bahrain. We then provide the onward connectivity through our network to the customer’s premises.

Can Northstar provide both the international and local connection?

Yes. As a licensed telecommunications operator in Bahrain, Northstar can combine international connectivity with local access and our Bahrain network infrastructure to provide an end-to-end connectivity solution.