EXA Infrastructure has entered a strategic partnership with SOCAR Fiber to develop a new 1,850 km terrestrial fiber-optic route, enhancing connectivity diversity beyond the traditional Red Sea corridor used by submarine cables.
This new route will extend across Türkiye, from Greece to Georgia, and is planned to expand towards the Iraq border to facilitate connectivity into the Gulf region. The collaboration emphasizes Türkiye's pivotal role in the digital ecosystem and underscores the critical need for varied digital pathways between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
Steve Roberts, SVP of Network Investments at EXA Infrastructure, said, “Terrestrial routes in the region have been an important area of development across the industry for several years, but these have now become a priority. The vulnerability in the Red Sea region has shown that the industry needs more investment in diversity. We are committed to investing in route diversity and ensuring our customers can access Europe and North America with as many secure paths as possible, and this partnership with SOCAR provides an ultra reliable and highly scalable alternative to the Red Sea into Turkey and the rest of Europe."
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SOCAR Fiber Cables
SOCAR Fiber's cables, installed parallel to the TANAP gas pipeline, provide high reliability and integrate seamlessly with EXA’s Trans Adriatic Express network, which follows the TAP gas pipeline to Italy.
This cooperation with EXA Infrastructure enhances SOCAR Fiber’s sectoral presence and supports Türkiye’s ongoing digital transformation.
Besides leasing a pair of fiber-optic cable endpoints, the agreement also enables EXA Infrastructure to market additional endpoints from SOCAR Fiber to major global data center operators.
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