Against the background of the threats to disconnect underwater optical fibers in the Red Sea region - today (Thursday) Cellcom launched the optical fiber network in the southern region up to Eilat, at an event in the presence of the Minister of Communications, Dr. Shlomo Karai, CEO of the Ministry of Communications, Einval Meshash, Mayor of Eilat Eli Lankeri and Cellcom CEO Daniel Sapir. The new network enables a connection from the East to Europe in the West. As part of the project, Cellcom deployed an optical network along 250 km to Eilat, which provides the owners of submarine cables and leading telecommunications companies in the world an alternative to maritime connections through the Suez Canal, which benefits Currently exclusivity on the connection between the East and the West.
The new network connects to the border crossings with Jordan from north to south and is actually an extension of the Cellcom network that exists today throughout the country, opening up the possibility of connecting server farms and landing stations in strategic locations along the new fiber route. In addition, the network gives the possibility of improving connection speed to the residents of the south and Eilat and provides communication stability to Israel. With the launch, Cellcom informed its business customers in the city that they would be upgraded to the new fiber network.
The infrastructures are supposed to be used, among others, by the international content and cloud providers, communication operators and various entities that are interested in the survival of their existing infrastructures, while turning the State of Israel and the land connection offered by Cellcom into a central transition node for the transfer of information at high rates and an important node for global communication traffic. The terrestrial connection offered by Cellcom provides an answer to various challenges experienced by large international customers today, including the Houthi threat to cut the cables, which was realized last February.
The uniqueness of the new network that Cellcom is launching is the type of fiber that is spread along its length, made of Corning glass, known for its quality and ability to transmit higher rates over longer distances - thousands of gigabytes over hundreds of kilometers. Cellcom will be the first and the only one in Israel with a fiber network that consists of the most powerful and advanced fiber available in the communication market today.
Minister of Communications, Dr. Shlomo Karai: "The deployment of Cellcom's advanced land fiber between Eilat and Be'er Sheva, which enables a secure land connection between Asia and Europe via the underwater communication cables in the Red Sea, is another layer in response to threats in the region. In this case, exceptionally, the security response also brings with it great consumer news of competition in the international communications market and of investments in Israel as a global communications center."
Eilat Mayor Eli Lankri: "I congratulate Cellcom for connecting the residents of Israel to international fiber optic and for quality, fast and stable communication through the city of Eilat. Kudos to the Minister of Communications - Dr. Shlomo Karai and to the CEO of his office - Inbal Meshash, for promoting this important initiative, which is also real news for the residents of the city of Eilat. With the necessary utilization of one of the great relative advantages of the city of Eilat and its geographical location as a bridge between the East and the West, Eilat is once again emerging as a strategic asset for the State of Israel."
Einbal Meshash, CEO of the Ministry of Communications: "The launch of Cellcom's new fiber network will contribute to the city of Eilat and the south of the country, and will A secure infrastructure that will connect the East and the West. The new deployment is significant news for many players in the ecosystem who will benefit from high-speed information. The deployment makes Israel a strategic asset and a central axis in the global intercontinental data traffic. Our role in the Ministry of Communications is to ensure That the State of Israel will have advanced communication infrastructures throughout its length and breadth, which will be deployed by as many companies as possible. Beyond the economic, political and security significance of developing an alternative to the underwater infrastructure, the development of the infrastructure will lead to an improvement in the speed of connection to the residents of the south."
Daniel Sapir, CEO of Cellcom: "The security need created as a result of the war led us to speed up the activity in favor of promoting the launch of the new fiber network, in order to bring to large customers from Israel and the world a reliable, stable and advanced terrestrial alternative with the highest quality and fastest fiber, which will provide them with backup and security through a different path than exists today. We at Cellcom attach great importance to a project that will help position the company as a leading communications infrastructure company in Israel and in front of the international market."