Sharjah eyes Ethiopia investment opportunities amid growing UAE-Africa trade Saudi Arabia to raise minimum wage threshold Bahrain poised for V-shaped rebound in 2027 after energy sector setback US bank J.P. Morgan facilitates Syrian deal for Saudi oil products Abu Dhabi advances UK investment ties through London forum, 56 meetings Abdullah bin Zayed joins trilateral meeting with FMs of US, India Dubai's GDP reaches $129bln in H1 2026 Saudi economy remains resilient despite Middle East conflict, SAMA governor says Middle East economy set for strong 6.6% rebound in 2027: IMF Technology, start-ups can double India-UAE trade to $200bln: Forum Dubai Cashless Strategy exceeds 2026 targets UAE to participate in World Bank Group and IMF Annual Meetings in Bangkok UAE President receives phone call from Canadian Prime Minister Etihad Rail putting UAE’s property market on a new track, says expert Sharjah recorded 45% growth in FDI projects in 2025 Saudi Arabia plans IPO, short-selling reforms within 90 days: CMA NBB expands Bahrain real estate partnerships with two new deals His Majesty Sultan Haitham reviews economic, investment projects at SEZ in Duqm Ras Al Khaimah Chamber, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce strengthen trade, investment ties Saudi ranks among world's top countries in trade indicators UAE deploys $272mln fund to bolster critical industries Etihad Rail, AD Ports launch direct Fujairah-Abu Dhabi freight service Sharjah-Oman logistics corridor cargo value jumps 66% to $463mln Saudi Arabia seeks greater private-sector role in industrial growth Oman Islamic banking assets top over $24bln Salama, Ajman Bank establish strategic partnership CBUAE, Mastercard conclude programme to strengthen national capabilities in fraud risk management Qatar Chamber enhances trade relations with Malaysia's Malacca State Saudi business confidence climbs to 56.7 points on industry, services gains Qassim Cement to acquire 100% of A-Mix for $17.3mln

Log in

عربي

Media Centre

Home » Media Centre

Iraqi-UAE consortium plans $700mln fast data cable network

Iraqi-UAE consortium plans $700mln fast data cable network

Iraqi-UAE consortium plans $700mln fast data cable network

Feb 17, 2026

An Iraqi-Emirati consortium plans a $700 million subsea-and-terrestrial ​data cable linking the ⁠United Arab Emirates to Turkey via Iraq, one of the project’s backers ‌said, just over a week after the announcement of a Saudi-backed fibre-optic project in Syria.

Gulf neighbours Saudi ​Arabia and the UAE are each trying to tap into demand for connectivity in the region ​and become ​hubs for AI infrastructure, including data centers, amid wider economic and geopolitical competition across the region. 

The Iraqi-UAE project, branded WorldLink, would comprise an undersea cable from ⁠Fujairah in the UAE to Iraq's Faw peninsula on the Gulf, which will then run overland north to the Turkish border, Ali El Ekabi, head of Iraq's Tech 964 - one of the three members of the consortium - told Reuters.

FIVE-YEAR PROGRAMME

El Ekabi said the ​project would ‌be privately funded ⁠and rolled out in ⁠phases over the next five years. It aims to ease congestion and reduce transit times versus ​the traditional paths that run through the Suez Canal.

The Emirati ‌and Saudi governments did not respond to requests for ⁠comment.

Saudi Arabia and Syria announced on February 7 plans to set up a fibre-optic network under a wider investment package.

That project, dubbed SilkLink, is a roughly $1 billion push to rehabilitate Syria's infrastructure and position it as a data route between Asia and Europe.

In response to a request for comment on the UAE-Iraqi project, the Syrian telecoms ministry told Reuters in a statement: “Additional infrastructure investment improves route diversity and resilience for everyone.”

“SilkLink is designed to deliver low-latency and high- availability ... and we expect to be ‌highly competitive on both performance and resilience,” it said.

Besides Tech ⁠964, WorldLink's sponsors include Iraq-Kurdish DIL Technologies and UAE-based Breeze ​Investments, according to El Ekabi, son of Iraqi real estate billionaire Namir El Ekabi.

Iraq, which is trying to market itself as a stable transit corridor after decades of conflict, launched ​a $17 billion "Development ‌Road" rail-and-road plan in 2023 to connect Faw to Turkey.