- Telecom Egypt and 4iG, a Hungarian IT solutions provider, have agreed to collaborate on building an express subsea cable connecting Albania to Egypt.
- This news follows the two parties signing an October 2023 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form a joint venture for the intercontinental subsea cable project. The cable is the first of its kind between the two countries.
- 4iG's Chairman, Gellért Jászai and Telecom Egypt's Managing Director and CEO, Mohamed Nasr Eldi, signed the agreement in Budapest, Hungary. The Hungarian Minister of National Economy and Egypt's Minister of Communications and Information Technology were present.
Building an express subsea cable connecting Albania and Egypt via the Red Sea will provide a high-capacity connection from Africa and Asia to Europe via Egypt, the Mediterranean, and Albania.
The cable, which connects land-based stations and transmits telecommunications signals, would also add to the diverse Mediterranean routes that connect Egypt to Italy and France. It could also be expanded to include Libya, Cyprus, and Greece.
The cable from Egypt will link to several subsea cables that travel into Asia and Africa via the Red Sea and run southeast. Albania will have access to Frankfurt and other parts of Eastern and Central Europe and the Balkans.
Telecom Egypt has previously worked with others to create similar links. Aqaba Digital Hub and NaiTel, a telecoms service provider based in Jordan, inked a joint construction agreement on January 29, 2024, for building the "Coral Bridge," a subsea cable system that will link Egypt and Jordan.
Also, on January 16, 2024, Telecom Egypt and Zain Omantel International (ZOI) announced a collaboration to build infrastructure — land and sea pathways — connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Arabian Sea and Arabian Gulf, forming a Eurasian data highway.
Telecom Egypt's most recent cable project is expected to capture a significant share of the data traffic market between Asia, East Africa, and Europe.
Egypt's Minister of Communications and Information Technology stated that "more than 90% of international data traffic between the East and West passes through the country. With 14 international subsea cables currently in service, work is underway to establish another 5 international subsea cables through international alliances.”
In January 2024, the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) granted Telecom Egypt, the government-owned telecommunications provider, a 15-year licence worth $150 million to operate 5G. Telecom Egypt became the country's first mobile operator to secure a 5G licence.
