The EU is planning an undersea internet cable to improve connectivity to Georgia and reduce dependence on lines running through Russia, Financial Times reported.
The €45mn cable will link EU member states to the Caucasus via international waters in the Black Sea, stretching a span of 1,100km. The project aims to reduce the region’s “dependency on terrestrial fiber-optic connectivity transiting via Russia,” the European Commission said in a policy document.
The EU and Georgia jointly identified the need for the Black Sea internet cable in 2021 to improve Georgia’s digital connectivity. However, the war in Ukraine has added impetus to the project, given the need to avoid relying on “connections that are not secure or stable,” said a person with knowledge of the proposal.
Questions about the feasibility and timeline of the project remain.
Vodafone is also exploring the possibility of developing a cable route across the Black Sea, according to two people briefed on the plan. The project, called Kardessa, would connect Ukraine to Bulgaria, Turkey and Georgia, and then continue under land to Armenia, Kazakhstan, and onwards to Asia.
The EU is also planning a separate electricity cable under the Black Sea as part of the Global Gateway program, connecting Hungary and Romania to Georgia and Azerbaijan, to reinforce the bloc’s “security of supply.”
