Israel to build 254 km fibre-optic cable link between Europe and Asia

Israel will construct a 254-kilometer (158-mile) fiber-optic cable connecting the Mediterranean and Red Sea to establish a permanent connection between Europe and the Gulf and Asian nations, according to the finance ministry on Sunday.

The state-owned energy company EAPC will construct the cable along the path of an oil pipeline that it runs through Israel from the Mediterranean port of Ashkelon to Eilat on the northern Red Sea, said the ministry in the statement.

The project, said EAPC Chief Executive Itzik Levy, “will position Israel as a communication land bridge connecting the Gulf countries and Asia to Europe.”

The cable will hook up to subsea cables that reach Israel’s shores. It will be available to any telecom company licensed in Israel under a 25-year lease, the ministry said.

EAPC, or the Europe Asia Pipeline Company, offers its pipeline as an alternative to the Suez Canal.

Environmental groups have long called it a hazard and questioned the company’s safety record. Most notably, in 2014 a pipeline breach flooded a desert nature reserve with 5 million litres of oil.

The ministry said the fibre-optic deployment along the pipeline route will help monitor any changes in terrain and detect possible leaks.

With inputs from agencies

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