New Ooredoo subsea cable to connect GCC, enhance global data flow

Qatar’s Ooredoo has announced plans to build a “strategic” undersea cable connecting Gulf Arab states, aiming to enhance data transfers between Europe and Asia, the telecom operator’s CEO said Thursday.

The Fibre in the Gulf (FIG) project, developed in partnership with France’s Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), will link seven countries—Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq.

The nearly 2,000-kilometer (1,200-mile) cable is expected to be completed by late 2027, positioning Ooredoo to meet increasing data demands in Europe and Asia.

“This will be the lowest-latency, highest-capacity cable in the region,” Ooredoo Group CEO Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo said.

Expanding Global Data Routes

Beyond regional connectivity, Fakhroo said the Gulf cable will serve as an “anchor” for a corridor extending to India and Singapore.

The project also opens the possibility of a land-based cable running from Iraq to Turkey and into Europe, providing an alternative route that bypasses the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

Internet and telecom cables have traditionally followed shipping routes through the Red Sea, but security concerns have grown since late 2023, when Yemen’s Houthi rebels began targeting commercial vessels.

“Ninety percent of global connectivity between Asia and Europe passes through this region, and there are significant bottlenecks today in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden,” Fakhroo said.

Security and Investment

Ooredoo declined to disclose the project’s cost but said it plans to invest nearly $500 million in connectivity infrastructure in the coming years, both for subsea and land-based networks.

To enhance security, the new cable will be buried more than 1.5 meters (five feet) below the seabed, making it one of the first of its kind in the region.

“This will be a faster, more secure highway that improves data reliability and quality,” Fakhroo said, adding that fiber cuts in the region have historically led to congestion and disruptions in connectivity.

ASN, which specializes in manufacturing and installing submarine cables, is majority-owned by the French state after its State Participation Agency acquired an 80% stake from Nokia in December.

ASN CEO Alain Biston called the project a “game-changing initiative” that will strengthen regional connectivity and establish the Gulf as a hub for global data exchange.