New undersea internet cable to link Cyprus and Syria by 2028

Cyprus and Syria are set to be linked by a new high-capacity undersea internet cable, Ugarit 2, which is expected to become operational in early 2028. The project is a collaborative effort between the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (Cyta), the Syrian Telecommunications Establishment, and UNIFI Communications. An agreement for the construction and maintenance of the 240-kilometre system was formally signed in Damascus on July 28, 2026.

The new infrastructure will replace the original Ugarit cable, which has been in service since 1995 and currently offers a limited capacity of 622 Mbps. In contrast, the new system will feature 24 fibre pairs, providing an initial data capacity of 31 Tbps, with a long-term design capability reaching 370 Tbps. The cable will connect the landing point at Pentaskhinos in Cyprus with Tartus in Syria.

The project, which has been under development since 2024, received a special license from the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). According to the developers, the system will utilize technology from US-allied nations in accordance with the "Clean Network" initiative. It is described as the first major international infrastructure agreement realized under Syria's current economic framework, aimed at restoring the nation's connectivity to global digital networks.