Greece and Egypt strengthen relationship through subsea cooperation

The agreement will see both partners work together to consider future submarine cable routes between Egypt and Greece, as well as how the two companies’ assets can better support each other across their international infrastructure portfolios. 

 

However, as pointed out by a Grid Telecom spokesperson, the partnership is not in reference to any specific submarine cable system but is rather a signal of future intent. 

 

The MoU was signed in Athens, at the headquarters of Greece’s Independent Power Transmission Operator (ADMIE), Grid Telecom’s parent company. Numerous government officials from both countries were in attendance, including Greece’s Digital Governance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis and Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat.

 

According to Pierrakakis, the agreement not only represents a significant partnership for the telecoms industry but is “symbolic” of a deepening relationship between the two nations and of the region’s “geostrategic importance”.

 

“This fresh cooperation between two strategic players in the region aims not only to improve their interconnection, but to also meet the growing current and future needs of countries in Africa, the Middle East and Europe,” added Talaat.

 

Further to this announcement, the meeting also saw the government officials discuss various additional topics, including AI and technological innovation.

 

This MoU notably follows an agreement by the Greek and Egyptian governments back in October last year, whereby the two nations agreed to build a submarine cable to transmit power produced by renewables from North Africa to Europe, via Egypt and Greece. 

 

In related news, late last year, Grid Telecom announced it would provide overland connectivity in Greece for IslaLink’s IONIAN submarine cable, which connects Crotone, Italy, with Preveza, Greece. As a result of the partnership, Grid Telecom will extend the IONIAN system from Preveza to both the capital, Athens, and Thessaloniki, the country’s second largest city.

 

The IONIAN system is scheduled to be come operation in Q4 this year.