Saudi Arabian operator Mobily has signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) with North African service provider Telecom Egypt to build the first submarine cable system to directly connect Saudi Arabia to Egypt.
The agreement explores various new ways to connect international capacity to Europe in the west through Telecom Egypt’s network, and to the GCC in the east through Mobily’s network. The aim is to make this possible by expanding the two companies’ networks and connecting them to neighbouring countries.
The establishment of the new cable system aims to meet the needs of rising communication traffic and the large demand for services between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Mobily says its aim of empowering the digital economy and offering advanced digital solutions is in line with Saudi Vision 2030, a strategic framework to reduce Saudi Arabia's dependence on oil, diversify its economy, and develop public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism.
Mobily says it continuously focuses on scaling subsea cables using cutting-edge technologies, something that is reflected in its investment in this area. It has also recently joined two new cable system consortiums, SEA-ME-WE-6 and AAE-1, to increase global capacity and its own presence.
In the subsea cable space Telecom Egypt offers advanced infrastructure both locally and globally, with more than 140 landing stations across over 60 countries.
