Grid Telecom, a subsidiary of the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) of Greece, and Tamares Telecom, a fibre-based international communications and data service provider from Israel, have inked a deal to enhance digital infrastructure in the Eastern Mediterranean.
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The two companies have signed a Heads of Agreement to jointly participate in Tamares Telecom Cyprus, a fully licensed operator in Cyprus, which owns a cable landing station and landing infrastructure on the island’s western coast.
The cable landing station will serve as a vital interconnectivity hub, providing carrier and hosting facilities for international subsea optical fibre cable systems linking Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. It will connect Cyprus with Greece, Israel, Egypt, and other key destinations, acting as a gateway between the East and West.
Through their joint venture, Grid Telecom and Tamares Telecom will offer state-of-the-art facilities for the secure landing and operation of subsea cable systems, including services for housing power feeding, subsea line terminating equipment, and other mission-critical equipment essential for interconnection and data traffic management.
This partnership between Grid Telecom and Tamares Telecom will create a new telecommunications corridor between Europe and the Middle East. By leveraging Cyprus's strategic position, the venture will establish a carrier-neutral, open-access hub with interconnection data centre facilities.
This hub will provide alternative low-latency paths to major destinations in Greece, Europe, the Balkans, Turkey, Egypt, North Africa, Israel, and the Arabian Peninsula. The collaboration is expected to enhance data transport solutions, offering more efficient interconnection of subsea cable systems for customers and partners in the region.
Tamares Telecom is already working closely with Grid Telecom on the ANDROMEDA optical fibre cable system, which will land at the Cable Landing Station in Cyprus. This system is designed to interconnect Greece with Cyprus and Israel, extending further into the Arabian Peninsula and beyond, positioning Greece as a new eastern gateway to Europe.
Grid Telecom utilises IPTO’s extensive optical network in Greece and neighbouring countries, integrating it with its own fibre links and Points-of-Presence to achieve network diversity, maximum security, and low latency. Meanwhile, Tamares Telecom operates the TAMARES-North, a high-capacity subsea fibre cable system linking Israel and Cyprus.
Ori Yogev, chairman of Aluma Infrastructure Fund, the parent company of Tamares Telecom, commented: "Tamares Telecom is continuously developing and extending its national and international infrastructure. Our collaboration with Grid Telecom and IPTO to acquire a state-of-the-art Cable Landing Station in Cyprus, alongside our work on the ANDROMEDA fibre cable system, will enhance our security and reach in Europe and the Middle East.
“Our investments in new strategic projects provide infrastructure diversity, including the development of cable landing infrastructure and new optical fibre cable systems to meet the market’s demand for high-quality data transport solutions, creating a telecommunications bridge between East and West."
Mmanos Manousakis, chairman and CEO of IPTO, commented: "IPTO is building the infrastructure for tomorrow's electricity and telecommunications backbone networks throughout Greece and beyond, contributing to Greece’s transformation into a critical energy and data hub at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and Asia.
“The strategic partnership between Grid Telecom and Tamares Telecom will create a combined landing and interconnection solution with cutting-edge connectivity and international reach. This will help new subsea fibre 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."
