AFR-IX Telecom's Medusa subsea cable system is expanding to Jordan.

Medusa and NaiTel this week announced a strategic agreement to link the Medusa subsea cable to NaiTel’s Coral Bridge cable.

The agreement will provide a new access point to the Medusa network, creating a direct connectivity route from Aqaba to Europe and onwards to the wider Middle East.

As part of the collaboration, Medusa will establish colocation capacity at Aqaba Digital Hub, the data center parent of NaiTel.

Under the agreement, the two companies will integrate the Medusa cable with NaiTel’s regional and international connectivity network and Aqaba Digital Hub data center and open-access cable landing station in Aqaba.

Eyad Abu Khorma, founder and CEO of Aqaba Digital Hub, said: “Our collaboration with Medusa further expands the international connectivity ecosystem we have built in Aqaba, strengthening the links between Europe, North Africa, Jordan and the wider Middle East. Jordan is uniquely positioned to serve as a bridge between the Mediterranean and the wider Middle East, and we look forward to working with Medusa to develop new connectivity opportunities across the region.”

Norman Albi, CEO of Medusa Submarine Cable System, added: "Partnering with NaiTel and Aqaba Digital Hub represents an important step in extending Medusa’s Mediterranean connectivity into Jordan and the wider Middle East.”

Coral Bridge is a 15km-long cable, connecting Jordan to Egypt. The repeaterless system lands at Aqaba Digital Hub and Telecom Egypt's Taba cable landing station. It went live last year, offering 48 fiber pairs.

Located in the coastal city of Aqaba, the 12MW Aqaba Digital Hub is Jordan’s largest carrier-neutral data center. NaiTel is the telecom arm of Aqaba Digital Hub and a licensed telecom operator in Jordan.

The first segment of the Medusa subsea cable went live in June, connecting France and Tunisia. Once fully deployed, the 8,700 km (5,405 miles) Medusa system will span 19 landing sites across Europe and North Africa.

First announced in 2022, the 24-fiber pair system is due to land in Spain, France, the Italian island of Sicily, Greece, and Cyprus. It is also due to land on Africa’s northern coast at multiple points across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya.

Owned by AFR-IX Telecom, Medusa is set to run from the Carcavelos area of Lisbon in Portugal through the Mediterranean to Port Said, Egypt, and Aqaba, Jordan. An expansion to Syria is also planned.

An extension down the West African coast is also planned, landing in Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Guinea.

Sparkle’s GreenMed and the Google-backed BlueMed/Blue & Raman submarine cable systems are set to land in Aqaba. The city is the landing point for FLAG’s FEA system from 1997 and is set to host the upcoming Andromeda system.

More than a dozen cables pass through the Red Sea, with the route a key connectivity artery between Asia and Europe. In recent years, companies have looked for potential alternatives that bypass the area – including overland via Israel.