The Kardesa submarine cable system will connect Bulgaria, Georgia, Turkey and Ukraine – Vodafone Ukraine is partner market, owned by Neqsol
Vodafone Group and Vodafone Ukraine are to begin construction of a high-capacity submarine cable system in the Black Sea to link Europe and Asia. Vodafone Ukraine is wholly owned by Neqsol Holding and is a Vodafone Group Partner Market.
The Kardesa submarine cable system is expected to have landing points in Bulgaria, Georgia, Turkey and Ukraine, increasing the diversity of digital routes through the region. Route diversity is becoming acutely important as subsea cables have become targets for state-sponsored sabotage as well as being vulnerable to accidental anchor drags.
Kardesa will improve internet reliability and speed for customers in the countries where it lands and, it is hoped, spur inward investment into their digital economies.
The first cable landing – in Bulgaria – will be in 2027, followed by landings in Turkey, Georgia and Ukraine. Work in Ukraine will take place only in internationally recognised safe zones.
Xtera has been contracted to manage and deliver the project, which will cost over €100 million to fully build and install.
The Kardesa cable system will add over 500Tbps capacity throughout the Black Sea region. Vodafone says the global demand for new internet traffic routes is growing exponentially: there are 5.8 billion mobile users worldwide, 80% of whom own smartphones, according to GSMA’s The Mobile Economy – 2025.
The number of mobile users is expected to rise 12% by 2030 and greater usage of 5G, AI, streaming services and IoT will add to the demand for more capacity. Submarine cable systems are estimated to carry 97%-98% of international internet traffic, according to the European Commission, and “every new route is critical to the digital economy”.
