Iraq corridor cable aims to link UAE and Turkey

An Iraqi-Emirati consortium is advancing plans for a $700 million subsea and terrestrial data cable connecting the United Arab Emirates to Turkey through Iraq, signalling intensifying competition among Gulf states to dominate regional digital infrastructure.

One of the project’s backers confirmed that the system would run from the UAE across Iraqi territory before linking into Turkey’s networks, providing a new high-capacity route between the Gulf and Europe. The proposal emerges days after a Saudi-backed fibre-optic initiative was unveiled in Syria, underscoring a broader race to secure transit corridors for global data flows.

The planned cable would combine subsea and overland segments, positioning Iraq as a strategic land bridge between Asia and Europe. Industry analysts say such routes are increasingly valuable as cloud computing, artificial intelligence and streaming services drive exponential growth in cross-border data traffic. Hyperscale operators and content providers are seeking redundancy and lower latency, prompting governments and private investors to expand fibre capacity across politically and geographically sensitive regions.

Gulf capitals have identified digital connectivity as a pillar of economic diversification strategies. The United Arab Emirates has invested heavily in data centres, submarine cable landing stations and free zones tailored to technology companies. Saudi Arabia has likewise accelerated infrastructure spending under its Vision 2030 programme, seeking to transform the kingdom into a regional hub for cloud services and AI workloads.

The Iraqi-Emirati proposal reflects this shifting landscape. Iraq, long better known for its hydrocarbons sector, has been attempting to modernise telecommunications networks damaged by years of conflict and underinvestment. Officials in Baghdad have promoted the country’s geographic position as an asset, arguing that fibre corridors crossing Iraqi territory can shorten transmission paths between the Gulf and Europe compared with maritime routes alone.

Turkey, for its part, has positioned itself as a gateway between Europe and Asia, hosting multiple subsea cable landings on both the Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts. Integration with Turkish infrastructure would enable traffic from the Gulf to interconnect with European networks more directly, potentially reducing reliance on longer routes via the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

Regional competition has sharpened. Saudi Arabia’s backing of a fibre-optic project in Syria is widely viewed as an attempt to establish an alternative land corridor through the Levant. That initiative aims to connect Gulf networks northwards, tapping into Mediterranean landing points and linking onward to Europe. By advancing a route through Iraq, the Iraqi-Emirati consortium is offering another pathway that could appeal to global technology firms seeking route diversity.

Telecoms executives note that geopolitical risk has become a central consideration in infrastructure planning. Attacks on subsea cables, maritime chokepoints and political instability can disrupt connectivity and raise insurance costs. Diversifying routes across multiple jurisdictions mitigates those risks, though it introduces regulatory and security complexities.

The $700 million price tag suggests a large-capacity system, likely incorporating high-fibre-count cables and modern optical technologies capable of supporting terabits per second of data throughput. Market demand has been buoyed by the rapid adoption of AI applications, which require massive data processing and interconnection between data centres in different regions.

Major cloud providers have expanded their footprint in the Gulf, announcing new data centre regions and partnerships with state-backed operators. The UAE has cultivated relationships with global technology companies, while Saudi Arabia has attracted commitments from international firms to build hyperscale facilities. Increased fibre capacity is essential to underpin these investments.

Analysts say Iraq could benefit economically from transit fees, improved domestic connectivity and spillover effects in digital services. However, the success of the project will depend on stable regulatory frameworks, transparent governance and the ability to protect infrastructure across long terrestrial stretches.

Financing structures for such projects typically involve a mix of private equity, sovereign backing and debt from regional and international lenders. Consortium models allow operators to share risk while securing guaranteed capacity for anchor customers. Details on the investors and operators involved in the Iraqi-Emirati venture have yet to be fully disclosed, though backers describe it as a strategic partnership aligned with broader regional connectivity goals.

Turkey’s participation is also significant. Ankara has pursued policies aimed at strengthening its role as a digital crossroads, leveraging its location between continents. Enhanced connectivity from the Gulf through Iraq could reinforce that ambition, offering alternative paths to existing subsea cables that traverse the Red Sea, Mediterranean and Atlantic.

Global data traffic has surged over the past decade, driven by video streaming, cloud adoption and enterprise digitalisation. Industry bodies estimate that international bandwidth demand continues to grow at double-digit annual rates. That expansion has fuelled a new wave of cable construction worldwide, with dozens of systems under development linking Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas.