Ukraine plans to implement a large-scale infrastructure project in the field of telecommunications – the construction of the Kardesa submarine cable system, which should strengthen the resilience of the national digital network and create an alternative communication route bypassing Russia. This is reported by the Government Portal.
This involves laying an underwater cable through the Black Sea with connections to Bulgaria, Turkey and Georgia, which will become part of the international digital corridor between Europe and Asia. The project will be implemented by Vodafone Group and “Vodafone Ukraine”.
“Vodafone Group and “Vodafone Ukraine” will begin construction of an underwater cable system. In Europe, the main partner is global Vodafone. And the section of the submarine cable along the bottom of the Black Sea will be financed, in particular, by the Ukrainian Vodafone and will be implemented together with the Ministry of Digital Affairs, – notes the Government Portal.
“Vodafone Ukraine” reported that the first cable landing is planned in Bulgaria in 2027, after which the project will sequentially cover Turkey, Georgia and Ukraine. The operator emphasized that work on the Ukrainian section will take place exclusively in internationally recognized safe zones. The Kardesa system will provide increased bandwidth in the Black Sea region – more than 500 terabits per second additionally.
The key goal of the initiative is to increase the reliability and security of communications in the Black Sea region and form an independent data transmission route that will not pass through the territory of Russia. In addition, the implementation of the project should strengthen the transit potential of Ukraine, turning it into an important link in the digital connection between Europe and Asia.
It is expected that the construction of the underwater network will also stimulate the development of data centers, traffic exchange points and the digital economy in general. This, according to the Government Portal, will contribute to attracting investments and creating new jobs.
The additional over 500 Tbit/s of bandwidth that the Black Sea region will receive is considered critical for further traffic growth, in particular through the development of 5G, artificial intelligence, and streaming services.
