A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of a new fiber optic cable system that will link Greece to Saudi Arabia has been signed by Grid Telecom, a subsidiary company and telecommunications service provider of ADMIE, and Dawiyat Integrated, a telecommunications subsidiary of the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC).
The partnership between Grid Telecom and Dawiyat Integrated is fully aligned with the two companies’ strategy for expanding their international networks, as ADMIE highlights in its announcement. Furthermore, it lays the foundation for developing synergies in new areas of business development, such as the creation of data centers for hyperscaler providers (hyperscale-ready data centers), which will improve data transfer between different continents.
The new digital corridor that will link Saudi Arabia to Greece via Crete will extend westwards to key destinations in Europe and eastwards through the Arabian Peninsula.
ADMIE President and CEO, Mr. Manos Manousakis, stated that “ADMIE is expanding its strategic cooperation with the Saudi Electricity Company in the field of telecommunications. The agreement between Grid Telecom and Dawiyat Integrated will add a new ultra-high-speed telecommunications “bridge” for data transfer in the Eastern Mediterranean, contributing to the digital convergence of the entire region. Combined with the joint plans of ADMIE and National Grid, also a subsidiary of the Saudi Electricity Company, to build a new electricity interconnection between the two countries, we are creating the conditions for both Greece and Saudi Arabia to become critical energy and digital nodes at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia.”
In turn, Dawiyat Integrated CEO, Mr. Wael Ali Al-Ghamdi, noted that “with the growing demand for regional and global connectivity, Dawiyat Integrated is constantly working to strengthen and expand its international network. Our partnership with Grid Telecom in a joint venture to build a new cable system will increase the resilience and reach of our network. Taking advantage of Crete’s strategic location, the new cable system will link Saudi Arabia with Greece and the Balkans, forming a new gateway to Europe.”
Grid Telecom Chairman, Mr. Costas Agathakis, said: “We are constantly looking for ways to strategically expand our services to partners and customers. In this context, our collaboration with Dawiyat Integrated for the construction of a new cable system will support the implementation of a major telecommunications corridor between Greece and Saudi Arabia and strengthen Crete’s strategic role as a regional hub of high geopolitical value in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans.”
As highlighted by ADMIE, “Grid Telecom is continuously strengthening its position in the Greek wholesale telecommunications services market, using ADMIE’s extensive optical network in Greece and neighboring countries. At the same time, by expanding and interconnecting its points of presence with the proprietary optical network it is developing, the Operator’s subsidiary is creating a new neutral open access hub in the wider Balkan and Mediterranean region. Dawiyat Integrated is the leading neutral wholesale telecommunications services provider in Saudi Arabia, with a broad portfolio of engineered international cable systems and fiber optic cable termination stations. Dawiyat’s investments in modern telecommunications infrastructure aim to support Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation and business development by providing integrated and innovative cutting-edge technology solutions to its domestic and international customers.”