Vodafone is developing a subsea cable connecting Ukraine to Bulgaria.

Vodafone Group and Vodafone Ukraine this week announced the companies will soon begin construction of a new high-speed submarine cable system in the Black Sea.

The 500Tbps Kardesa submarine cable system will include four landing points across Bulgaria, Georgia, Turkey and Ukraine.

The first landfall of the €100 million ($116m) cable is planned in Bulgaria in 2027, followed by Turkey, Georgia and Ukraine. Further details on the landing points were not shared.

Vodafone said work on the Ukrainian section will take place “exclusively in internationally recognized safe zones.”

"Kardesa opens a new digital chapter for Ukraine. This project integrates our country into leading global data transmission routes, creating new opportunities for business, investment and the development of digital services. We are proud that our business is part of this strategic partnership," said Olga Ustinova, CEO of Vodafone Ukraine.

Xtera is the general contractor for the project.

Vodafone Ukraine can trace its roots to Ukrainian Mobile Communications (UMC), founded in 1993 and acquired by Russian telco MTS in 2003. After Vodafone formed a partnership with MTS in Ukraine in 2008, the unit rebranded under the Vodafone name in 2015. Azerbaijani holding company NEQSOL Holding acquired MTS’s stake in Vodafone Ukraine in 2019.

NEQSOL Holding also owns Azerbaijani firms Bakcell, AzerTelecom, and Azerconnect.

The Black Sea is home to a small number of subsea cables. The Caucasus Cable System, laid in 2008, connects Georgia to Bulgaria. Turk Telekom’s aging KAFOS cable links Bulgaria and Romania to Turkey, while the Georgia-Russia cable from 2000 links Georgia to Russia.

Two small cables – the Energy Bridge and Kerch Strait cables – link mainland Russia to Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Crimea.