IPTO subsidiary Grid Telecom and Israeli firm Tamares Telecom have signed a deal to enhance and develop a cable landing station in Cyprus.
First reported by Capacity, the two companies have signed a Heads of Agreement to both participate in the joint venture Tamares Telecom Cyprus.
Tamares Telecom Cyprus is already a fully licensed operator on the island and owns both a cable landing station (CLS) and landing infrastructure on the island’s western coast.
The venture will establish a carrier-neutral, open-access hub with interconnection data center facilities to connect the island to Greece, Egypt, Israel, Europe, North Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula.
“Our investments in new strategic projects provide infrastructure diversity, including the development of cable landing infrastructure and new optical fiber cable systems to meet the market’s demand for high-quality data transport solutions, creating a telecommunications bridge between East and West,” said Ori Yogev, chairman of Aluma Infrastructure Fund (the parent company of Tamares Telecom).
Manos Manousakis, chairman and CEO of IPTO, added: “This will help new subsea fiber cable systems bypass costly and time-consuming permitting processes and infrastructure construction, acting as a catalyst for regional developments.
"Additionally, it will enable direct cross-connection with other cable systems, backhaul carriers, and digital platforms within the Cable Landing Station of Tamares Telecom Cyprus, creating a robust telecommunications ecosystem that will drive digital transformation in Cyprus and the broader Eastern Mediterranean region.”
The two companies previously partnered to develop the Andromeda subsea cable, connecting Greece to Cyprus and Israel. The cable is set to go live next year.
Tamares Telecom operates a landing station in Tirat Hacarmel in Israel and is present at the Yeroskipos CLS in Cyprus, with a presence in facilities in Marseilles, London, and Frankfurt.
The company also owns the Tamares-North submarine cable linking Israel with Cyprus, which was launched in 2012, and is being extended further to Marseille and mainland Europe. The company is owned by Israeli infrastructure investment firm Aluma Infrastructure Fund alongside private investment firm Tamares Group.
Established in January 2019, Greece’s Grid Telecom operates around a dozen data centers. Grid's fiber optic terrestrial and subsea network spans around 4,000km and is set to increase to beyond 6,000km in the coming years as it connects Greek islands with the core network.
Grid Telecom operates the Minoas East and West cables between the Greek mainland and Crete and is set to launch the Apollo East & West cable sometime this year.
Also in Crete, the firm has plans to build a new cable landing station, although timelines have not yet been shared.
Last month, Grid Telecom announced plans to build a subsea system connecting Greece to Saudi Arabia.
