Telecom Egypt and Greece-based subsea cable operator Power Sub Link SA (PSL) have signed an agreement to develop the Sharm El-Sheikh–Taba subsea cable, completing connectivity between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean via the Internet Corridor of Egypt.
According to the telco, the 200-kilometre, repeaterless, high-fibre-count submarine cable provides one of the shortest, fastest and most secure connectivity routes between Sharm El-Sheikh and Taba.
Featuring a design capacity of approximately five petabits per second, the cable system is expected to be ready for service in the fourth quarter of 2027.
The pact was signed in Cairo by Tamer El Mahdi, managing director and CEO of Telecom Egypt, and Byron Skaftouros, managing director of PSL, in the presence of Amr Talaat, minister of communications and information technology.
This expansion leverages the North African nation’s role in global telecommunications, where the country serves as a critical digital transit hub responsible for approximately 17% of all global internet traffic.
By establishing this new eastern digital corridor, the link will provide lower signal losses, enhanced network performance and greater capacity, while offering international carriers and network operators increased route diversity.
The new cable will extend Telecom Egypt's existing Red Sea Subsea Festoon Cable System to Taba, creating a continuous subsea connectivity path linking Suez, Zafarana, Ras Ghareb, Sharm El-Sheikh and Taba.
The project marks a key milestone in expanding the company’s subsea infrastructure across the Red Sea and Sinai.
Additionally, the extended Red Sea Subsea Festoon Cable System will bolster Telecom Egypt’s infrastructure by adding new landing-point options and an additional subsea path along the coastline, enhancing network resilience and redundancy.
The arrival of this link at Taba creates network synergies with the existing Coral Bridge subsea cable. Developed jointly by Telecom Egypt and Jordan's NaiTel, the operational Coral Bridge provides an express digital link across the Gulf of Aqaba, connecting Taba directly to Jordan's data hub network.
Interconnecting these projects creates an aggregate digital pathway that expands transit options into the Levant, Europe and the Middle East.
Talaat commented: “This agreement reflects Egypt’s continued efforts to strengthen its digital infrastructure, enhance the diversity and resilience of its international connectivity routes, and reinforce the country's role in global digital connectivity. The development of the new subsea cable further reinforces the role of Sinai as an important component of Egypt’s digital infrastructure.”
He said the ministry remains committed to strengthening the North African nation’s position as a global connectivity hub between East and West to support global data traffic and meet growing demand for secure international data transmission.
El Mahdi added: “This project aligns with our new strategy, which aims to maximise the company's role in digital infrastructure and strengthen its position regionally and internationally. The Sharm-Taba cable is another significant milestone in the development of Telecom Egypt’s international infrastructure, particularly its subsea infrastructure in Sinai.”
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