Syria has moved a new fiber-optic link to Europe into the implementation phase after signing an agreement on September 13 to build the Ebla submarine cable between Tartous and Cyprus. The cable will connect to SilkLink, a fiber network of more than 4,500 kilometers being developed across Syria with Saudi telecom group STC.
“Ebla renews our direct connection to the world through Cyprus,” Syrian Communications Minister Abdelsalam Haykal said, adding that SilkLink will distribute capacity from submarine cables across the country.
The Ebla agreement was signed by the Syrian Telecommunications Company, Cypriot operator Cyta and US-based UNIFI Communications. The cable will run from Tartous to the Pentaskhinos landing station in Cyprus, where traffic can connect to European and global networks.
Ebla will contain 24 fiber pairs, with an initial capacity of 31 terabits per second, expandable to 370 Tbps. It is due to enter service in early 2028.
Marine surveys along the route are already under way. The cable has been ordered from NSW, a Prysmian subsidiary, while Elettra will handle offshore installation and Nokia will supply the optical transmission equipment.
A network spanning more than 4,500 kilometers
SilkLink is designed to connect Syria’s submarine cable landing points with major cities, data centers, telecom operators and land border crossings. The network is intended to provide an additional route for data traffic between Europe, the Gulf and Asia.
The project was launched by the ministry in May 2025. Following a tender involving 18 companies, Saudi telecom group STC was selected in February 2026 to develop the network. The project includes around 4,500 kilometers of backbone fiber, a similar length of secondary links and five data centers.
By adding another route to existing corridors, the network could allow traffic to be rerouted when other links are disrupted and shorten some connections between Europe and Asia. The Syrian ministry says latency could be reduced by as much as 30 milliseconds on some routes.
Damascus is also planning a Syrian landing station for the Medusa submarine cable and is negotiating additional links expected to reach Tartous and a planned landing station in the Latakia area.
Ebla is eventually set to replace Ugarit, the Syria-Cyprus cable that entered service in 1995 and currently has a capacity of around 2 Tbps following upgrades carried out in 2025.