Grid Telecom and Islalink announce the signing of a 25-year agreement for the terrestrial backbone fiber extension of the IONIAN submarine cable linking Italy and Greece. In the Greek side, Islalink’s 320-km-long cable will be complemented by Grid Telecom’s optic fiber network with a length which exceeds 1,000km, connecting Preveza to Athens and then to Thessaloniki.
The partnership of IPTO’s subsidiary and Islalink marks the expansion of crucial broadband infrastructure in the Mediterranean, significantly enhancing the interconnectivity of the two countries with an additional capacity of 360 Tbps. IONIAN cable is expected to be instrumental to the emergence of Greece’s two largest urban centers as regional hubs for cloud, content and telecommunication services and is set to trigger new investments in digital infrastructure.
The agreement is consistent with Grid Telecom’s strategy aiming to consolidate its position as a major neutral wholesale services provider in the wider region by offering diverse routes with neighboring countries to its customers.
Esther Garcés, CEO of Islalink, stated: “Having Grid Telecom as a supplier for the terrestrial fibers in Greece gives us a lot of confidence. Grid Telecom's fibers have long-standing track record of high reliability, very much in line with our targets for the IONIAN system. Additionally, Grid Telecom and Islalink are fully aligned from a strategic point of view, since we both are neutral providers of wholesale services”.
George Psyrris, Director of Grid Telecom, stated in this regard: "We are proud to help the realization of the IONIAN project that will bring a new and diverse international route and will help Greece become one of the key Mediterranean data hubs. Also, we are very excited to count on Islalink as an important partner for the development of our international strategy".
