Israeli state-owned energy firm EAPC (Europe Asia Pipeline Company) is set to build a fibre optic cable creating a continuous link from Europe to the Gulf and Asia.
The 254-kilometre (158 mile) cable will stretch from the Mediterranean port of Ashkelon to Eilat on the northern Red Sea, along the route of an oil pipeline operated by EAPC, connecting subsea cables that land in Israel.
The Ministry of Finance confirmed that any licensed telecoms provider in Israel will be able to access the cable under a 25-year lease. EAPC Chief Executive Itzik Levy said that the cable would “position Israel as a communication land bridge connecting the Gulf countries and Asia to Europe."
The news is likely to cause controversy; EAPC has been strongly criticised for its track record by environmental groups, with a major breach in 2014 resulting in an EAPC pipeline leaking over 5 million litres of oil into a protected nature reserve. However, the finance ministry argues that deploying the cable along the pipeline route will make it easier to monitor for damage and detect leaks.
