Ebla Submarine Cable, Tartus to Cyprus

Syria's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has signed an agreement to build the Ebla submarine cable linking Syria and Cyprus. The project aims to increase international internet capacity and diversify connectivity routes, and the ministry is targeting service entry in early 2028.

Parties to the Agreement

According to the ministry, the agreement brings together the Syrian Telecommunications Company, the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (Cyta) and the US company UNIFI Communications, as part of a plan to modernise the country's telecommunications infrastructure.

Technical Specifications

• Cable length of 240 kilometres between Tartus and the Pentaskinos station in Cyprus.
• 24 pairs of optical fibres.
• Initial capacity of 31 terabits per second, with a possible future increase to 370 terabits per second.
• A direct link between Syria and Cyprus, and from there to European and global networks via the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority network.

By comparison, the Ugarit cable, which entered service in 1995, currently has a capacity of about 2 terabits per second, after its equipment was upgraded and inbound capacity expanded in summer 2025.

Wider Project Framework

The project is part of a plan to diversify digital infrastructure, including a landing station for the Medusa submarine cable and the Silk Link project to develop a core national fibre-optic network. The network is intended to connect cable landing stations with cities, data centres, telecom operators and land border crossings. The ministry is negotiating other cables to reach the Tartus landing station and the planned station in Latakia.

Implementation Stages and Contractors

• Marine equipment ordered from the NSW facility of Prysmian.
• Elettra selected to carry out cable laying and installation at sea.
• Nokia to supply optical transmission equipment.
• Marine route survey between Cyprus and Tartus continues alongside cable manufacturing, followed by installation, testing and trial operation.

The ministry noted that the timetable depends on completing licences, the implementation stages, sea conditions in the eastern Mediterranean and the availability of cable-laying vessels.