Grid Telecom and Islalink to connect IONIAN subsea cable

 

Grid Telecom and Islalink have formed an agreement to deliver a terrestrial backbone fibre extension of the IONIAN subsea cable.

 

Connecting Italy and Greece, the IONIAN subsea system will now be extended with Grid Telecom’s optic fibre network from the landing point in Preveza to Athens and then on to Thessaloniki.

 

“Having Grid Telecom as a supplier for the terrestrial fibres in Greece gives us a lot of confidence," said Esther Garcés, CEO of Islalink.

 

"Grid Telecom’s fibres 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”.

 

Once completed in 2022, the IONIAN cable is expected to support the emergence of Athens and Thessaloniki as regional hubs for cloud, content and telecoms services and is set to trigger new investments in digital infrastructure.

 

“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," said George Psyrris, director of Grid Telecom.

 

"Also, we are very excited to count on Islalink as an important partner for the development of our international strategy."

 

Announced in May of this year, IONIAN is being built as joint collaboration by IslaLink and Elettra.

 

Connecting Crotone, Italy, with Preveza, Greece, the IONIAN submarine cable will be complemented by two terrestrial fibre rings connecting the system to the cities of Milan and Rome in Italy and Athens and Thessaloniki in Greece.