Egypt & Jordan to Establish Red Sea Submarine Communication Cable

Telecom Egypt and Jordan’s Nitel have signed an agreement to build a submarine communication cable between the two countries, the first of its kind in over 25 years.

The ‘Coral Bridge’ cable will span the seafloor of the northernmost section of the Red Sea at the Gulf of Aqaba, connecting the cities of Taba and Aqaba. The partnership between Telecom Egypt and Jordanian telecommunications company Nitel takes advantage of the short distance between the two nations at this choke point of data between Africa, Asia and Europe.

This project demonstrates a significant push in bilateral relations between Egypt and Jordan. The cable, which spans a relatively short distance, will aid the response to increasing regional demand for digital capacity and large-volume data transfer, following the advent of artificial intelligence and development of local data centres, whilst also capitalising on the strategic importance of the Gulf of Aqaba in the global telecommunications network.