An Iraqi Emirati consortium plans a $700 million subsea and overland data cable connecting the United Arab Emirates to Turkey through Iraq according to Ali El Ekabi head of Tech 964 one of the consortium members. The project named WorldLink will run from Fujairah in the UAE under the Gulf to Iraq’s Faw peninsula and then overland north to the Turkish border.
The privately funded initiative will be executed in phases over five years aiming to reduce congestion and transit times compared with traditional routes through the Suez Canal. Sponsors also include DIL Technologies and UAE based Breeze Investments.
The announcement comes shortly after Saudi Arabia and Syria revealed plans for a $1 billion fibre optic project SilkLink aiming to position Syria as a regional data route. Syrian officials noted that new infrastructure improves route diversity and resilience.
The WorldLink project underscores the competition among Gulf nations to become hubs for AI infrastructure and data centers while Iraq seeks to establish itself as a stable transit corridor supported by its $17 billion Development Road rail and road plan connecting Faw to Turkey.
