Mobily joins SEA-ME-WE 6 consortium to build subsea cable system

Logo of Etihad Etisalat Co.

Etihad Etisalat Co. (Mobily) said it joined the SEA-ME-WE 6 (Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 6) consortium to build a 19,200-kilometer-long subsea cable system, according to a company statement.

The subsea cable system will connect Saudi Arabia with another 10 countries in the Middle East, South Asia and West Europe.

The Saudi telecom operator indicated that this system will enhance the network’s efficiency, in terms of technology, time, reach, coverage or destinations.

SEA-ME-WE 6 was designed to have a minimum transmission speed of 100 terabits per second (Tbps), which will enrich the network capabilities as well as flexibility. It will help meet rising data demands and offer one of the lowest latencies available on this high traffic density route between Asia and Europe.

The 12 other consortium members of SEA-ME-WE-6 include Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company, Maldives Dhiraagu, Djibouti Telecom, France’s Orange, Singapore’s Singtel, Sri Lanka Telecom, Telecom Egypt (TE), Telekom Malaysia, Indonesian Telin, India’s Bharti Airtel, and Trans World Associates from Pakistan.

Mobily noted that the strategically located Yanbu city will be the place where the sea cable will be anchored, due to its proximity to the data centers and Vision 2030 projects, making it one of the leading cable landing stations in the region.