Podcast Episode
The cable would begin as a subsea connection from Fujairah in the UAE to Iraq's Faw peninsula on the Persian Gulf, before running overland northward to the Turkish border. According to Ali El Ekabi, head of Iraq's Tech 964, the project would be entirely privately funded and is expected to take four to five years to complete.
WorldLink's backers include Tech 964, Iraq-Kurdish DIL Technologies, and UAE-based Breeze Investments. The consortium is targeting hyperscalers, international carriers, and AI applications, aiming to ease congestion on existing east-west data routes and reduce transit times compared to traditional paths running through the Suez Canal.
Syria's telecommunications ministry struck a conciliatory tone about the competition, noting that additional infrastructure investment improves route diversity and resilience for everyone.
Iraq and UAE Announce Seven Hundred Million Dollar WorldLink Cable to Challenge Saudi Digital Ambitions
February 17, 2026
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An Iraqi-Emirati consortium has unveiled plans for a seven hundred million dollar subsea-and-terrestrial data cable called WorldLink, running from the UAE through Iraq to Turkey. The project directly competes with Saudi Arabia's one billion dollar SilkLink fibre-optic network in Syria, as Gulf nations race to become regional hubs for AI and digital infrastructure.
A New Digital Highway Through the Middle East
An Iraqi-Emirati consortium has announced plans for a seven hundred million dollar data cable network that would create a new high-speed digital corridor linking the United Arab Emirates to Turkey via Iraq. The project, branded WorldLink, represents one of the most ambitious infrastructure plays in the region's intensifying competition to become the crossroads of global AI and data connectivity.The cable would begin as a subsea connection from Fujairah in the UAE to Iraq's Faw peninsula on the Persian Gulf, before running overland northward to the Turkish border. According to Ali El Ekabi, head of Iraq's Tech 964, the project would be entirely privately funded and is expected to take four to five years to complete.
Competing Visions for Regional Connectivity
The announcement comes just over a week after Saudi Arabia's telecom giant STC Group secured an eight hundred million dollar contract to lead Syria's SilkLink infrastructure project, a massive fibre-optic network that would deploy around four thousand five hundred kilometres of optical fibre across Syria. SilkLink aims to position Syria as a key data transit route between Asia and Europe, following the country's efforts to rebuild critical infrastructure after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.WorldLink's backers include Tech 964, Iraq-Kurdish DIL Technologies, and UAE-based Breeze Investments. The consortium is targeting hyperscalers, international carriers, and AI applications, aiming to ease congestion on existing east-west data routes and reduce transit times compared to traditional paths running through the Suez Canal.
Iraq's Broader Transformation
The project aligns with Iraq's wider push to reposition itself as a stable transit corridor after decades of conflict. In 2023, the country launched the seventeen billion dollar Development Road rail-and-road initiative connecting Faw to Turkey. Meanwhile, the Gulf region's technology spending is projected to reach one hundred and sixty-nine billion dollars in 2026, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia leading massive investments in AI data centres, including the UAE's five-gigawatt Stargate hyperscale computing centre and Saudi Arabia's Humain data centres in Riyadh and Dammam.Syria's telecommunications ministry struck a conciliatory tone about the competition, noting that additional infrastructure investment improves route diversity and resilience for everyone.
Published February 17, 2026 at 7:07am