Telecom Egypt and NaiTel join forces to build a new subsea cable “Coral Bridge” between Egypt and Jordan
25 January 2024
In a ground-breaking move to enhance regional connectivity, Telecom Egypt, the first integrated telecommunications operator in Egypt and one of the largest subsea cable operators in the region, has joined forces with NaiTel, a licensed telecommunications service provider in Jordan, and the telecom arm of Aqaba Digital Hub. Together, they announce the signing of a Joint Build Agreement to construct Coral Bridge, a new, long-awaited subsea cable system connecting Egypt and Jordan.
The signing ceremony took place in the presence of H.E. Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Egypt and H.E. Amjad Adaileh, Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to Egypt. The agreement was signed by Mohamed Nasr, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Telecom Egypt and Eyad Abu Khorma, Founder and CEO at NaiTel.
Coral Bridge system will cross the Gulf of Aqaba, creating a point-to-point well-established infrastructure between Taba on the Egyptian side and Aqaba on the Jordanian side. With no repeaters and a high-fiber count, the system will serve as a key project, maximizing the geo advantages of the region to cater for the international community needs and act as a meeting point for the traffic flowing between East and West.
As the first subsea system to be laid in the Gulf of Aqaba since 1997, Coral Bridge system will play an important role in fulfilling regional and international demands by connecting two significant locations in the Middle East and aggregating the traffic flow being hosted in a fully neutral facility–the Aqaba Digital Hub. Through this connection, the new cable system will serve the Jordanian market as well as neighboring countries by providing innovative and essential end-to-end solutions from Aqaba to Europe by capitalizing on Telecom Egypt’s diversified subsea infrastructure footprint and resilient crossing network.
H.E. Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Egypt, stated:
“Building the new “Coral Bridge” subsea cable between Egypt and Jordan enhances the efforts made to consolidate bilateral relations between the two countries in the field of communications and information technology. It also comes as a result of the ongoing discussions over the past period to enhance joint cooperation in the field of international digital infrastructure. The “Coral Bridge” subsea cable is the first subsea cable linking the two countries to be constructed in about a quarter of a century. This project comes as a continuation of the efforts made to enhance Egypt’s capabilities in the field of international digital infrastructure in light of the implementation of an integrated strategy aimed at strengthening Egypt’s position as a regional data corridor and maximizing the benefit of Egypt’s unique geographical location, which makes it a distinguished meeting point in the field of subsea cable networks globally.”
H.E. Amjad Al Adaileh, Jordan’s Ambassador to Egypt, expressed:
"We commend the fruitful partnership in the telecommunications sector between Jordan and Egypt, facilitated by Telecom Egypt and NaiTel. This collaboration signifies the strengthening of bilateral cooperation across key sectors, aligning with the visionary leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II and President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. This underscores their shared commitment to advancing Jordanian-Egyptian relations in the region."
Mohamed Nasr, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Telecom Egypt, commented:
“We are pleased to be cooperating with NaiTel on this new strategic subsea cable system connecting Egypt and Jordan. We chose the name 'Coral Bridge' after the distinctive flora of the coral reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba. The cable is a key pillar in our strategy to expand the scope of our international footprint in neighboring countries, capitalizing on Jordan’s strategic location and NaiTel’s extensive infrastructure in the Kingdom. The new infrastructure between Taba and Aqaba will constitute an important crossing point for international traffic between Asia, Africa and Europe, in addition to a new point of presence in Taba, in the Sinai Peninsula, where multiple subsea cables are planned to land. International traffic extends to the Mediterranean Sea via several protected terrestrial crossing routes in Egypt, and then connects to any of the subsea cables extending to Asia, Africa and Europe, providing our partners with a competitive advantage for their international communications networks.”
Eyad Abu Khorma, Founder and CEO at NaiTel, commented:
“We are proud to announce our partnership with Telecom Egypt, positioning Jordan and Egypt as a creative diverse connection between the East and West. Aqaba Digital Hub is poised to emerge as a neutral hub, leveraging its strategic location as a crossroad between Europe, Asia, and Africa. The new cable with Telecom Egypt will enhance Aqaba Digital Hub’s diverse footprint and resilient crossing network. This collaboration aims to deliver a comprehensive end-to-end solution, connecting Jordan seamlessly to Europe.”
The signing ceremony took place in the presence of H.E. Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Egypt and H.E. Amjad Adaileh, Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to Egypt. The agreement was signed by Mohamed Nasr, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Telecom Egypt and Eyad Abu Khorma, Founder and CEO at NaiTel.
Coral Bridge system will cross the Gulf of Aqaba, creating a point-to-point well-established infrastructure between Taba on the Egyptian side and Aqaba on the Jordanian side. With no repeaters and a high-fiber count, the system will serve as a key project, maximizing the geo advantages of the region to cater for the international community needs and act as a meeting point for the traffic flowing between East and West.
As the first subsea system to be laid in the Gulf of Aqaba since 1997, Coral Bridge system will play an important role in fulfilling regional and international demands by connecting two significant locations in the Middle East and aggregating the traffic flow being hosted in a fully neutral facility–the Aqaba Digital Hub. Through this connection, the new cable system will serve the Jordanian market as well as neighboring countries by providing innovative and essential end-to-end solutions from Aqaba to Europe by capitalizing on Telecom Egypt’s diversified subsea infrastructure footprint and resilient crossing network.
H.E. Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Egypt, stated:
“Building the new “Coral Bridge” subsea cable between Egypt and Jordan enhances the efforts made to consolidate bilateral relations between the two countries in the field of communications and information technology. It also comes as a result of the ongoing discussions over the past period to enhance joint cooperation in the field of international digital infrastructure. The “Coral Bridge” subsea cable is the first subsea cable linking the two countries to be constructed in about a quarter of a century. This project comes as a continuation of the efforts made to enhance Egypt’s capabilities in the field of international digital infrastructure in light of the implementation of an integrated strategy aimed at strengthening Egypt’s position as a regional data corridor and maximizing the benefit of Egypt’s unique geographical location, which makes it a distinguished meeting point in the field of subsea cable networks globally.”
H.E. Amjad Al Adaileh, Jordan’s Ambassador to Egypt, expressed:
"We commend the fruitful partnership in the telecommunications sector between Jordan and Egypt, facilitated by Telecom Egypt and NaiTel. This collaboration signifies the strengthening of bilateral cooperation across key sectors, aligning with the visionary leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II and President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. This underscores their shared commitment to advancing Jordanian-Egyptian relations in the region."
Mohamed Nasr, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Telecom Egypt, commented:
“We are pleased to be cooperating with NaiTel on this new strategic subsea cable system connecting Egypt and Jordan. We chose the name 'Coral Bridge' after the distinctive flora of the coral reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba. The cable is a key pillar in our strategy to expand the scope of our international footprint in neighboring countries, capitalizing on Jordan’s strategic location and NaiTel’s extensive infrastructure in the Kingdom. The new infrastructure between Taba and Aqaba will constitute an important crossing point for international traffic between Asia, Africa and Europe, in addition to a new point of presence in Taba, in the Sinai Peninsula, where multiple subsea cables are planned to land. International traffic extends to the Mediterranean Sea via several protected terrestrial crossing routes in Egypt, and then connects to any of the subsea cables extending to Asia, Africa and Europe, providing our partners with a competitive advantage for their international communications networks.”
Eyad Abu Khorma, Founder and CEO at NaiTel, commented:
“We are proud to announce our partnership with Telecom Egypt, positioning Jordan and Egypt as a creative diverse connection between the East and West. Aqaba Digital Hub is poised to emerge as a neutral hub, leveraging its strategic location as a crossroad between Europe, Asia, and Africa. The new cable with Telecom Egypt will enhance Aqaba Digital Hub’s diverse footprint and resilient crossing network. This collaboration aims to deliver a comprehensive end-to-end solution, connecting Jordan seamlessly to Europe.”