Telecom Egypt announced the completion of the deployment of the high-capacity submarine cable ‘Coral Bridge’ in the city of Taba. This is the first direct submarine cable linking Egypt and Jordan in over 25 years, serving as a high-speed digital connection supported by numerous optical fibers passing through the Gulf of Aqaba, marking a pivotal step in developing the digital infrastructure in the Middle East. The event was attended by Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Egypt; Eng. Sami Al-Smeirat, Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship of Jordan; Major General Khaled Mubarak, Governor of South Sinai; Eng. Eyad Abu Kharma, CEO and founder of Aqaba Digital City via video conference; and Eng. Mohamed Nasr, Managing Director and CEO of Telecom Egypt, along with the company’s executive management at the Coral Bridge cable landing site in Taba, Egypt.

Coral Bridge is the first submarine cable system to land at Taba, a point within the digital infrastructure recently established by Telecom Egypt in the Sinai Peninsula. The cable is scheduled to be landed in Aqaba soon at the global data center of Aqaba Digital City, ensuring service continuity by providing alternative routes and backup connections, supporting major companies and cloud service providers hosted in the data center to maintain their operations. The cable provides seamless connectivity across three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe, relying on the strategic location of both countries and Telecom Egypt’s extensive submarine cable infrastructure, enhancing business benefits locally, regionally, and internationally. The 15-kilometer-long submarine cable is designed with a large number of optical fibers to aggregate and transmit high-capacity international data traffic, meeting the increasing demand for AI applications and data centers.

Its short length also enhances the speed of international data transmission and reduces costs. Dr. Amr Talaat emphasized that the Coral Bridge submarine cable adds to the Arab submarine cable system and strengthens cooperation between Egypt and Jordan in communications and IT. It is the first submarine cable system to be landed in Sinai as part of efforts to diversify international infrastructure by providing new landing points and routes connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. A plan is underway to expand the submarine cable network in Sinai to provide locations closer to neighboring countries, enhancing regional connectivity and increasing the efficiency and speed of international data transmission. Dr.

Talaat also highlighted Telecom Egypt’s commitment to enhancing Egypt’s competitive advantages as a major gateway for international data traffic between East and West, noting that over 90% of data traffic between East and West passes through Egypt via a massive system of 15 submarine cables, with currently about 11 landing points. Eng. Sami Al-Smeirat stated that Egypt and Jordan share a historic relationship, and the Coral Bridge submarine cable project is a fruit of the cooperation established by the political leadership in both countries. The project is a practical translation of this cooperation in the communications and IT sector, especially following the 33rd session of the Egyptian-Jordanian Supreme Committee held recently in Amman. The cable represents a digital gateway for Jordan, and efforts are underway to maximize these digital gateways, making both Egypt and Jordan regional and global hubs for data transmission. Eng.

Sami Al-Smeirat expressed hope for more joint cooperation projects between the two countries in the future and invited Dr. Amr Talaat to visit Jordan for further discussions to enhance cooperation in communications and IT. Major General Khaled Mubarak, Governor of South Sinai, affirmed the close ties between Egypt and Jordan and the shared tourism and sports projects between South Sinai and Aqaba. He expressed happiness about the landing of the Coral Bridge submarine cable in Taba, highlighting its importance in strengthening digital connectivity with Jordan and providing digital communication to enhance joint cooperation and scientific integration. He also stressed the vital role of the internet in promoting tourism in South Sinai. Eng. Mohamed Nasr, Managing Director and CEO of Telecom Egypt, said, “The short distance between Taba and Aqaba is a strategic and vital opportunity to create an important communications corridor across the Middle East and Europe.

Through our cooperation with Nitel and leveraging their neutral ecosystem in Aqaba via Aqaba Digital City, the Coral Bridge submarine cable will accommodate a massive volume of regional digital data traffic and route it through Egypt’s diverse terrestrial paths towards the Mediterranean Sea. This vital infrastructure is a cornerstone for meeting the increasing demand for data transmission in the region, supporting the spread of data centers, and enhancing the resilience of submarine cable networks in the area.” Coral Bridge was designed according to the highest technical and environmental standards, developed with sustainability in mind, balancing capacity, performance, and environmental responsibility. It was established under a cooperation agreement signed in January 2024 between Telecom Egypt, a leading provider of communications and IT services in Egypt and one of the largest submarine cable operators in the region, and Nitel, a telecommunications provider in Jordan and the communications arm of Aqaba Digital City.

This reflects the importance of cross-border partnerships that open new growth horizons, deliver sustainable benefits to all stakeholders, and pave the way for future infrastructure projects serving the Middle East and other regions worldwide.