New Ugarit 2 subsea cable to link Syria and Cyprus with 31Tbps capacity

A new subsea internet cable connecting Syria with the Republic of Cyprus has been announced, marking a significant step in the modernization of Syria's digital infrastructure following years of isolation. Named Ugarit 2, the cable is being developed through a collaboration between AI infrastructure service provider UNIFI Communications, the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority, and the Syrian Telecommunications Establishment, according to a joint statement.

The cable will feature 24 fiber pairs and deliver 31 Tbps of launch capacity, with an eventual design ceiling of 370 Tbps. This represents a dramatic upgrade from the original Ugarit cable, which has carried Syria's connectivity since 1995. That legacy system, spanning 239 kilometers between the Cypriot landing point of Pentaskhinos and the Syrian city of Tartus, operated with a capacity of just 622 Mbps. Ugarit 2 will follow a similar route while providing a substantial uplift in traffic capacity.

The project is expected to be activated in early 2028, and several key suppliers have already been selected. Nokia will supply the DWDM optical transmission equipment for the first phase of construction, while Prysmian (NSW) will provide the submerged portion of the cable. A marine survey of the route is currently underway.

UNIFI Communications' founder and CEO, Adrian Shatku, emphasized the strategic importance of the project. "Ugarit 2 is the first major international infrastructure agreement of post-sanctions Syria, and for our industry it means something specific: a nation of twenty million people, at the crossroads of three continents, is coming back onto the map of the global internet," he said. "We are replacing a cable that has carried Syria's connectivity since 1995 with a 24-fiber-pair, Terabit-class system, delivered turnkey by an American prime contractor and 5 percent owner of the system under a valid US Treasury license and built end-to-end on Clean Network principles."

Ugarit 2 forms part of a wider push to rebuild Syria's digital backbone after its devastating civil war. In February, the Syrian government awarded Saudi Arabian telecom operator STC Group a 75 percent stake worth three billion SAR ($800 million) to run its 'Silklink' project. That initiative will see the construction of several data centers, submarine cable landing stations, and a 4,500-kilometer fiber-optic cable network across Syria.

Industry analysts view the Ugarit 2 project as a critical enabler for Syria's reintegration into the global internet economy. The capacity uplift from 622 Mbps to 31 Tbps at launch—and potentially 370 Tbps at full design—will provide the bandwidth necessary to support data center development, cloud services, and digital commerce in a country of over 20 million people. The involvement of an American prime contractor under a valid US Treasury license also signals a measured reopening of international technology cooperation with Syria, which could pave the way for further infrastructure investments in the region.