Egypt: Telecom Egypt, Grid Telecom join forces to connect Egypt and Greece

Telecom Egypt and Greek firm Grid Telecom, have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to connect Greece and Egypt using submarine cable infrastructure.

The strategic agreement sets the ground for the exploration of different connectivity options between Greece and Egypt, as well as the optimal utilization of Telecom Egypt’s and Grid Telecom’s state-of-the-art networks and international reach, through their existing and future optical interconnectivity to neighbouring countries.

“We are pleased to work with Grid Telecom, as this collaboration reinforces our strategy to further expand our international infrastructure and increase the geo-diversity of our assets. With Grid Telecom as an important strategic partner, we will be able to expand our reach to Europe via Grid Telecom’s extensive network in and beyond Greece,” said Adel Hamed Managing Director and CEO of Telecom Egypt.

Bilateral talks between Egypt’s Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology, Dr. Amr Talaat and Greece’s Minister of Digital Governance, Kyriakos Pierrakakis also took place during the signing ceremony, covering a number of topics, namely Artificial Intelligence, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship.

Also commenting, Georgios Psyrris, Director at Grid Telecom said, “Grid Telecom, in its only three years of presence, has achieved major domestic and international business partnerships and is already recognized as a key provider in the wholesale telecommunications market. With this MoU, Telecom Egypt becomes an important partner and strong ally for our regional expansion and highlights the strong market confidence to our Company’s further growth prospects.”

With a domestic fibre optic network currently exceeding 4,000 km, Grid Telecom, IPTO’s vehicle in the telecommunications market, is already offering diverse fiber connectivity between the island of Crete and the Greek mainland, in addition to its network infrastructure in Italy, the Balkans, and Central Europe, leveraging its position as a major, carrier-neutral hub in Europe.

Telecom Egypt’s international network extends to over 140 landing points in more than 60 countries across the globe.

The company has invested extensively in its submarine cable infrastructure, which is the shortest and most reliable crossing path between Africa, Asia and Europe, making Telecom Egypt the partner-of-choice for many international telecom players over the years.

Additionally, Telecom Egypt is working on multiple layers of its infrastructure diversity, such as establishing new submarine landing stations and crossing routes as well as investing in new systems and solutions that will cater for the rising global demand for international capacities.