Telecom Egypt signs deal to build Sharm El Sheikh–Taba submarine cable, to enter service in Q4 2027

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Telecom Egypt, an integrated telecom operator and one of the region's largest submarine cable operators, has signed an agreement with Power Sub Link (PSL) to build a submarine cable connecting Sharm El Sheikh and Taba. As part of Telecom Egypt's new strategy, the approximately 200-kilometer project is expected to enter service in the fourth quarter of 2027.

The new cable will extend Telecom Egypt's Red Sea Subsea Festoon Cable System to Taba, creating a continuous submarine connectivity route linking Suez, Zafarana, Ras Gharib, Sharm El Sheikh, and Taba. Telecom Egypt stated that the expansion will add new landing point options and introduce an additional submarine path along Egypt's coastline, thereby enhancing network resilience and redundancy. These deployments are expected to strengthen Telecom Egypt's submarine infrastructure in the Red Sea and the Sinai Peninsula, while further consolidating Egypt's position as a global strategic connectivity hub.

The Sharm El Sheikh–Taba link will be a repeaterless, high-fiber-count submarine cable designed to provide a short-distance, high-speed, and secure route, with a design capacity of approximately 5 Pb/s. The cable employs advanced fiber-optic technology to reduce signal loss, enhance network performance, and increase capacity, offering international carriers and network operators greater route diversity and connectivity options.

The submarine link will also support connectivity between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean via the Internet Corridor of Egypt (ICE), providing an additional route for international traffic between Asia, Africa, and Europe.

The agreement was signed in Cairo, with Tamer El Mahdi, Managing Director and CEO of Telecom Egypt, and Byron Skaftouros, Managing Director of Power Sub Link, signing on behalf of their respective parties, in the presence of H.E. Raafat Hendy, Egypt's Minister of Communications and Information Technology. Hendy stated that the agreement reflects Egypt's ongoing efforts to strengthen its digital infrastructure and enhance the diversity and resilience of international connectivity routes. The new cable extension will also expand the submarine and terrestrial infrastructure of the Sinai Peninsula, reinforcing its role as a vital component of Egypt's digital infrastructure. The Ministry of Communications will continue to develop international digital infrastructure to meet the demand for secure, efficient, and diversified international transmission of global data traffic.

Under the agreement, PSL, a global leader in advanced submarine installation and marine engineering technologies, will be responsible for project implementation. El Mahdi stated that the project aligns with Telecom Egypt's new strategy to maximize its role in digital infrastructure and consolidate its regional and international standing. It also marks another key milestone in the development of submarine infrastructure in the Sinai Peninsula, enhancing route diversity, resilience, and capacity, while advancing a new eastern digital corridor connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean via Sinai, leveraging Egypt's geographic advantage at the crossroads of three continents. Byron Skaftouros stated that the two parties are not merely delivering submarine infrastructure but are helping to shape the next generation of global connectivity. By building a resilient Red Sea bypass, the project will consolidate Egypt's position as a strategic gateway between continents, provide greater security and continuity for international communications, and create a new digital corridor of lasting significance.