MEDUSA Submarine Cable System and NaiTel, the telecom arm of Aqaba Digital Hub (ADH), a private digital infrastructure company and telecom operator, have signed an agreement to connect Jordan to MEDUSA’s submarine cable network through the Coral Bridge in Aqaba. MEDUSA is developing the submarine cable system to link Europe, North Africa and the Middle East with NaiTel’s regional and international network with ADH’s data center and cable landing station infrastructure in Aqaba.
According to a press release, the agreement will give Aqaba Digital Hub an access point to the MEDUSA network, providing a connectivity route from Aqaba to Europe through MEDUSA’s Mediterranean landing points and onward connections to the wider Middle East. MEDUSA will establish colocation capacity at Aqaba Digital Hub, a carrier-neutral digital infrastructure facility in Aqaba. Operators and customers connected to the facility will be able to access MEDUSA’s submarine network and international routes to Europe.
Eyad Abu Khorma, Founder and CEO, Aqaba Digital Hub, said, “Our collaboration with MEDUSA further expands the international connectivity ecosystem we have built in Aqaba, strengthening the links between Europe, North Africa, Jordan and the wider Middle East. MEDUSA’s growing footprint across the Mediterranean, combined with NaiTel and Aqaba Digital Hub’s terrestrial, subsea and data center infrastructure in Jordan, creates a strong foundation for developing more diversified and resilient international connectivity.”
Norman Albi, CEO, MEDUSA Submarine Cable System, said, “Partnering with NaiTel and Aqaba Digital Hub represents an important step in extending MEDUSA’s Mediterranean connectivity into Jordan and the wider Middle East. By combining MEDUSA’s high-capacity submarine network with NaiTel and ADH’s terrestrial, data center and subsea infrastructure in Aqaba, we are creating new opportunities for carriers, cloud providers, digital platforms and enterprises to access more diverse and resilient international routes.”
MEDUSA has planned to span more than 8,700 km and include 24 fiber pairs, with a design life of 25 years. Its landing network covers Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Greece, Cyprus, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Syria, with Jordan to be connected through the Coral Bridge.
The system is designed as open-access infrastructure for telecommunications operators, carriers, data centers and other digital infrastructure providers, with landing points across the Mediterranean connecting Europe, Africa and the Middle East.