October 21, 2025 — Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Etihad Salam, a leading telecommunications and digital infrastructure provider, has announced a strategic partnership with AFR-IX Telecom, the developer and operator of the Medusa Submarine Cable System, to extend the cable’s connectivity into the Kingdom.
The collaboration will position Saudi Arabia as a major interconnection hub between Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, GCC countries, and Asia, enhancing regional and global digital capacity. Under the agreement, Etihad Salam will serve as the primary landing and interconnection partner for the Medusa system in Saudi Arabia, connecting via Aqaba, Jordan.
Once integrated, the partnership will introduce resilient, high-bandwidth, and low-latency routes linking the Mediterranean to the Arabian Peninsula, enabling growth for hyperscale data centers, cloud service providers, and telecom operators across the region. Etihad Salam will also provide terrestrial backhaul services and capacity swapping, allowing seamless network integration from Medusa into Saudi Arabia and beyond to the wider GCC and Asia.
This initiative is a significant milestone in Etihad Salam’s global cable strategy, aligning closely with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to drive digital innovation and economic diversification through world-class infrastructure.
The Medusa Submarine Cable System spans 8,760 kilometers, connecting key landing points across Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Greece, Cyprus, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. With a total design capacity of up to 480 Tbps, Medusa is designed to facilitate ultra-fast and reliable data exchange between Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East — addressing the surging demand for intercontinental data flow.
Amjad Arab, Chief Wholesale and Alliances Officer at Etihad Salam, said:
“Our partnership with Medusa underscores Salam’s commitment to positioning Saudi Arabia as a central hub for regional connectivity. By linking the Medusa cable to our robust infrastructure, we’re creating new international routes that empower digital transformation and expand our global reach.”
Norman Albi, CEO of AFR-IX Telecom, added:
“Collaborating with Etihad Salam strengthens our mission to deliver secure, expansive, and high-performance connectivity. This partnership enhances network reliability and accelerates digital progress across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.”
The partnership reinforces Saudi Arabia’s growing status as a strategic digital corridor, bridging continents and powering the next era of cloud-driven, interconnected economies.
