The Middle East is emerging as a pivotal digital hub, driven by its strategic geographical location, rapid digital transformation, and substantial investments in connectivity infrastructure. At the heart of this transformation are subsea cable networks, which enable high-speed internet connectivity, facilitate data exchange, and support the region’s growing digital economy.
These undersea cables form the backbone of global data transmission, underpinning everything from cloud computing to financial transactions, and are essential for nations aspiring to become key players in the digital era.
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The Strategic Importance of Subsea Cables
Subsea cables carry over 99% of the world’s internet traffic, making them indispensable for modern communication and commerce. The Middle East, positioned at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and Asia, plays a crucial role in facilitating global data traffic. Historically, the region has been an important transit point for trade and energy; today, it is leveraging its geographical advantage to become a hub for digital connectivity.
In an exclusive interview with Telecom Review Asia at Submarine Networks World 2024, Abdullah Alghonaimi, VP Wholesale Operations, Mobily, Saudi Arabia, expounded on this, noting that Mobily is actively investing in a submarine consortium to develop critical connectivity solutions to connect the East to the West. Mobily owns four strategic landing stations across Saudi Arabia in Jeddah, Yanbu, Duba, and Al Khobar.
These stations significantly enhance connectivity options for Mobily customers both locally and regionally by providing direct, high-speed links between Saudi Arabia and global hubs.
Subsea cables enable fiber-optic standard connectivity across continents by spanning vast distances along the ocean floor. Their impact is profound, offering five key advantages: higher dependability, improved performance, enhanced security, decreased latency, and reduced congestion risk. These cables not only carry the highest voltages but also support the most secure telecommunications links between islands, countries, and continents.
To put their capacity into perspective, a single terabit per second can transmit about a dozen two-hour 4K HD movies in an instant. Just one submarine cable can support millions of people streaming videos or sending messages simultaneously without lag.
Currently, approximately 485 undersea cables stretch across more than 1,448,409.6 km of the ocean floor. These cables are also vital for transatlantic security, with governments relying heavily on them for secure communications. The global network is expanding, with over 500 active and planned cables. Some span short distances, while others reach up to 20,000 km.
The significance of subsea networks in the Middle East is underscored by the increasing demand for bandwidth-intensive applications, cloud computing services, and data center proliferation. Dr. Alaa Mousa, CEO at EarthLink Telecommunications and President of Fiber Connect Council MENA, supports the need to address “the requirements of the increased demand for bandwidth and capacities from the mobile industry.” He noted that “the region is going the right way,” however, stakeholders must continue to harmonize their efforts and promote collaboration.
Countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are investing heavily in digital infrastructure to support their economic diversification strategies. Subsea networks are fundamental to this effort, ensuring that businesses and consumers can access fast, reliable, and secure digital services.
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Major Subsea Networks in the Middle East
Major subsea networks in the Middle East include SEA-ME-WE 3, 4, 5, and 6; Gulf Bridge International (GBI); the Middle East North Africa (MENA) Cable System; Asia-Africa-Europe 1 (AAE-1); 2Africa; and Fiber in the Gulf (FIG), all of which enhance regional and global connectivity.
These and other projects reflect the growing importance of subsea infrastructure in the region’s digital economy, enhancing reliability and redundancy while providing high-capacity connections to global markets. This is achieved by leveraging fiber-optic technology to transmit vast amounts of data at ultra-high speeds across continents. They utilize multiple fiber pairs, advanced wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM), and self-healing ring architectures to enhance redundancy, reliability, and scalability.
Additionally, strategic landing points in key financial and tech hubs, such as Kalba (UAE), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), and Al Khobar (Saudi Arabia) enable seamless terrestrial network integration, facilitating cloud services, data centers, and enterprise connectivity, which are crucial for businesses, governments, and telecom operators.
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The Role of Digital Hubs and Data Centers
The Middle East’s rise as a digital hub is closely tied to the expansion of its data center ecosystem. According to Turner and Townsend, the region currently boasts USD 1.2 billion in active data center projects and a future pipeline of USD 433 million, making it one of the fastest-growing industries. As businesses increasingly rely on cloud computing and digital services, the demand for low-latency, high-speed connections has surged. Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, and Doha have emerged as key locations for data centers due to their investment-friendly policies, strategic location, and world-class infrastructure. Notably, market leaders such as Khazna Data Centers and the Gulf Data Hub command a substantial market share, solidifying the UAE's position as a dominant player in the industry.
Technology giants like Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud have all established regional data centers to cater to growing digital needs, while local entities, such as center3, supported by stc, have followed suit. Ooredoo Oman has commenced construction on three state-of-the-art data centers in Barka, Salalah, and Sohar, reinforcing its commitment to digital transformation.
In an exclusive Telecom Review interview during the 18th edition of the Telecom Review Leaders’ Summit, Majid AlNaqbi, Head of Data Center Business at du, highlighted that the massive increase in demand in the data center requirements in the Middle East is being driven by multiple factors.
The main factors are: the adoption of cloud (required in the Middle East and in the region), smart city initiatives (which are emerging all over the place), and AI advancement (which is playing a very crucial role in advancing and increasing the number of data center businesses and addressing their needs).
Data centers depend on subsea networks to ensure seamless data transmission across global networks. In tandem, regional telecom operators such as du, e&, stc, Mobily, center3, and Ooredoo are investing heavily in expanding their fiber-optic infrastructure to reinforce the digital ecosystem.
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Challenges and Opportunities
While subsea networks are crucial to digital transformation, they come with challenges:
- Regulatory Barriers: Varying regulations across countries can create obstacles in deploying and maintaining subsea cables.
- Security Risks: Subsea cables are vulnerable to physical threats, such as accidental damage from ship anchors and fishing activities, as well as cyber threats as a result of espionage and hacking attempts.
- Geopolitical Tensions: The Middle East’s geopolitical complexities can impact the construction and operation of subsea networks, with regional rivalries influencing infrastructure decisions.
- Technology Upgrades: Advances in optical modulation and multiplexing techniques are facilitating data movement across fiber cables, enabling greater capacity and quicker transmission rates. Operators need to keep pace with the latest advancements to remain competitive in the sector.
Despite these challenges, the opportunities are vast. As nations continue investing in digital transformation, they are fostering an ecosystem that supports artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, fintech, and other emerging technologies. Improved connectivity enables businesses to scale operations globally while providing citizens with enhanced digital experiences.
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The Future of Subsea Networks in the Middle East
Looking ahead, the Middle East is poised to strengthen its position as a digital hub through further investments in subsea cables, data centers, and cloud services. The region’s governments are actively promoting smart cities, e-governance, and Industry 4.0 initiatives, all of which require robust and reliable connectivity. Moreover, advancements in cable technology, such as fiber-optic innovations and AI-driven network management, will further enhance the efficiency and security of subsea networks.
As the digital economy continues to grow, the Middle East’s subsea network infrastructure will remain central to its aspirations of becoming a global connectivity leader. By addressing security, regulatory, and geopolitical challenges, the region can fully leverage its geographical advantage and serve as a critical node in the world’s “digital ecosystem.”
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