By Ron Chen, Bureau Chief, Asia

center3, owned by stc group, on behalf of the consortium partners of EMC Subsea Cable Company Ltd (EMC Company) and the leader in the manufacturing and installation of submarine optical systems, Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), have announced the signing of the Supplier’s Contract for the construction of two subsea and terrestrial data cables (EMC West) that will connect Saudi Arabia with Europe. The second phase of the EMC System (EMC Global) that will connect Saudi Arabia with Asia is being finalised and announced soon.

The EMC project enables KSA, Greece, and Cyprus leverage their geographic position. It delivers a much-needed new data corridor, positioning the three countries at the epicentre of a digital connectivity infrastructure, which will become a cornerstone of the digital transformation era.

The EMC cable is designed, from its inception, to realise KSA’s Vision 2030 and Greece 2.0 by transforming the KSA into a “Digital Hub” that connects Asia with Europe and Africa and positioning Greece and Cyprus as “European Union’s East Data Gateway”.

ASN will begin to construct EMC West, linking Haql (Saudi Arabia) with Genova (Italy) and Marseille (France), via Cyprus and Greece. The two cables – consisting of multiple Fiber Pairs – will have branches in Cyprus, Crete, and Athens. The EMC system is expected to operatein Q1 2026 (RFS date).

The EMC consortium partners expressed their gratitude and appreciation to all stakeholders. They congratulated their teams and the related Ministries for facilitating the implementation of this ground-breaking and high-profile project.