iQ Group
{{Short description|Telecommunications company}}
{{Lowercase title}}
{{Infobox company
| name = iQ Group
| logo = IQ group Logo.jpg
| type = Telecommunications
| founded = 2005
| area_served = Middle East
| key_people = Asoz Latif Rashid (CEO)
| website = {{URL|https://iq.group/}}
}}
iQ Group (also known as iQ) is an Iraqi technology conglomerate founded in 2005. The company was initially established as a fibre-optic internet service provider in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.{{Cite web |last=WebAdmin |date=2022-03-21 |title=Jan-Feb Issue - 2022 |url=https://internationalfinance.com/digital-issue-jan-feb-2022/ |access-date=2023-10-22 |website=International Finance |language=en-US}}
History
Founded in 2005, iQ began by building fibre-optic topology and cable routes across the country{{Cite web |author=Staff Writer |date=2023-07-13 |title=Iraqi tech CEO: Technology holds answers to nation's challenges |url=https://www.arabianbusiness.com/resources/all-of-iraqs-problems-can-be-solved-through-technology-says-asoz-rashid-ceo-of-iq-group |access-date=2023-10-22 |website=Arabian Business}} to be able to provide internet services in Iraq. IQ Group provides fibre-optic broadband services and wholesales capacity services to a range of customers, including businesses, NGOs, schools, hospitals.{{Cite web |date=2023-01-25 |title=iQ Believes That Education Is Crucial for a Progressive Society |url=https://www.telecomreview.com/articles/telecom-vendors/6720-iq-believes-that-education-is-crucial-for-a-progressive-society |access-date=2023-10-22 |website=Telecom Review |language=en-gb}} In 2020, with the arrival of the new CEO, Asoz Rashid, iQ group began to work in new areas.{{Cite web |last=WebAdmin |date=2022-03-21 |title=Jan-Feb Issue - 2022 |url=https://internationalfinance.com/digital-issue-jan-feb-2022/ |access-date=2023-10-22 |website=International Finance |language=en-US}} In 2023, it launched a partnership with Tencent.{{Cite web |last=I |first=B |date=2023-01-16 |title=iQ Becomes First Official Partner of Tencent in Iraq {{!}} Iraq Business News |url=https://www.iraq-businessnews.com/2023/01/16/iq-becomes-first-official-partner-of-tencent-in-iraq-2/ |access-date=2023-10-22 |language=en-GB}}
Transit connectivity
File:IQ Group Silk Route transit map.png
IQ Group's Silk Route Transit is a terrestrial fibre-optic infrastructure IP-Transit project that provides an alternative route to connect Europe and the Middle East.{{Cite web |last=درويش |first=رهام |date=2023-07-04 |title=مسار الحرير للإنترنت.. مشروع عراقي يربط آسيا وأوروبا بعيداً عن السويس |url=https://cnnbusinessarabic.com/technology/30678/%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%A5%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%86%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B9-%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A8%D8%B7/ |access-date=2023-10-22 |website=CNN الاقتصادية |language=ar}}
Conceptualised in 2010, the Silk Route Transit consists of over 3500 kilometers of fiber-optic cable{{Cite web |date=2023-07-26 |title=iQ Group and the Silk Route: A Historical Road Enters the Future |url=https://www.theglobaleconomics.com/2023/07/26/iq/ |access-date=2023-10-22 |language=en-GB}} laid across Iraq.{{Cite web |title=We Are iQ on LinkedIn: #silkroutetransit #globaltradeinnovation #iqgroup |url=https://www.linkedin.com/posts/weareiq_silkroutetransit-globaltradeinnovation-activity-7069265565009219584-ON45 |access-date=2023-10-22 |website=www.linkedin.com |language=en}} Its multilayer fiber-optic network supposedly provides the shortest alternative terrestrial route to connect Europe to Asia.{{Cite web |date=2022-10-25 |title=The Silk Road Reborn: The Future of IP-Transit |url=https://www.telecomreview.com/articles/reports-and-coverage/6489-the-silk-road-reborn-the-future-of-ip-transit |access-date=2023-10-22 |website=Telecom Review |language=en-gb}}{{Cite web |date=2023-07-28 |title=Issue 13 - The Global Economics |url=https://www.theglobaleconomics.com/magazine/issue-13/ |access-date=2023-10-22 |language=en-GB}}