Egypt, Jordan connect via Coral Bridge submarine cable after 25 years
Updated 8/17/2025 8:05:00 AM
Arab Finance: Egypt and Jordan marked the landing of the high-capacity Coral Bridge submarine cable in Taba, the first direct submarine link between the two countries in more than 25 years, as per a statement.
The ceremony was attended by Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat, Jordan’s Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Sami Smeirat, and South Sinai Governor Khaled Mubarak.
Spanning 15 kilometers across the Gulf of Aqaba, the cable is designed with a large number of optical fibers, enabling high-capacity international data traffic to meet rising demand from artificial intelligence (AI) applications and data centers. Its short length reduces costs and boosts the speed of international data transmission.
The project was developed under a cooperation agreement signed in January 2024 between Telecom Egypt (WE) and Jordan’s NaiTel, the communications arm of Aqaba Digital City.
The cable is the first submarine system to be landed in Taba, part of Telecom Egypt’s newly established digital infrastructure in Sinai.
It will soon extend to Aqaba at the Aqaba Digital City Global Data Center, ensuring service continuity through alternative routes and backup connections for companies and cloud service providers hosted there.
Egyptian Minister Talaat said the Coral Bridge cable is a significant addition to Egypt’s submarine network and a step in diversifying international infrastructure by creating new landing points and routes across the Sinai Peninsula.
He stressed that Egypt’s strategy is to strengthen its role as a major transit point for global data traffic, noting that more than 90% of internet traffic between East and West passes through the country via 15 submarine cables and 11 landing points.
Jordanian Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Smeirat described Coral Bridge as a digital gateway for Jordan and a practical outcome of the two countries’ political and economic cooperation.
He noted that the project follows the recent 33rd session of the Egyptian-Jordanian Higher Committee in Amman and will help position Egypt and Jordan as regional and global hubs for data transfer.
He added that Jordan seeks to maximize digital gateways and expressed hopes for further collaboration, inviting Talaat to visit Amman for continued discussions.
South Sinai Governor Mubarak said the cable strengthens ties between Taba and Aqaba, supporting cooperation in digital communication as well as tourism and sports projects. He also highlighted the internet’s role in promoting South Sinai’s tourism sector.
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