Wedoany.com Report-Oct. 22, Etihad Salam has announced an agreement to serve as the primary landing and interconnection hub for the Medusa Submarine Cable System in Saudi Arabia via Aqaba, Jordan. The announcement was made at Capacity Europe 2025. The initiative aims to provide fast, reliable, and low-latency connectivity from the Mediterranean to the Arabian Peninsula, supporting hyperscale data centers, cloud providers, and digital operators.

Under the agreement, Etihad Salam will also offer terrestrial backhaul and capacity-swapping services, integrating the Medusa network into Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, and Asia. The Medusa Submarine Cable System spans 8,760 km and links key Mediterranean countries, including Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Greece, Cyprus, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. The system offers a total capacity of 480 Tbps.

Amjad Arab, Chief Wholesale and Alliances Officer at Etihad Salam, said: “Our partnership with Medusa underscores Salam’s commitment to positioning Saudi Arabia as a central hub for regional connectivity. By linking the Medusa cable to our robust infrastructure, we’re creating innovative international routes that expand our worldwide presence and meet the surging needs for digital and cloud services in the Kingdom. Through this partnership, we seek to offer enriched connectivity services, experiences and bring the world closer, ultimately empowering businesses to scale and innovate in an increasingly digital landscape.”

Norman Albi, CEO of AFR-IX, added: “We’re excited to collaborate with Etihad Salam, whose expertise and network complement our objective of providing secure, expansive, and high-performance connectivity from the Mediterranean outward. This partnership elevates reliability and coverage for carriers worldwide, driving forward digital advancement across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.”

The collaboration will enable enhanced connectivity for international and regional operators by establishing additional routes and improving network resilience. It also addresses growing demand for digital infrastructure and cloud services across multiple regions.

Etihad Salam and Medusa aim to leverage their combined networks to provide high-capacity and low-latency connectivity for enterprises, telecom operators, and cloud service providers. This expansion is expected to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s position as a key regional digital hub while facilitating broader international connectivity.

The Medusa cable system is designed to support modern data demands, including the increasing deployment of cloud-based applications, digital services, and hyperscale infrastructure. By integrating with Etihad Salam’s terrestrial and regional network, it will offer a comprehensive and scalable solution for connectivity between the Mediterranean, the Arabian Peninsula, and Asia.

This partnership highlights the growing emphasis on high-speed, reliable international connectivity and the role of collaborative infrastructure projects in supporting digital transformation and economic development across multiple regions.