Iraq and UAE plan $700m “WorldLink” cable in Gulf data race
Iraq and the United Arab Emirates are planning a $700 million data cable project aimed at boosting regional connectivity, as reported by The Arab Weekly plus agencies on February 17th.
An Iraqi-Emirati consortium has unveiled plans for a subsea and terrestrial data cable linking the United Arab Emirates to Turkey through Iraq, in a move that underscores intensifying regional competition over digital infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence (AI) readiness.
The project, branded WorldLink, will begin with an undersea cable running from the UAE to Iraq’s Faw peninsula on the Gulf before extending north overland to the Turkish border, according to Ali El Akabi, head of Iraq’s Tech 964 and one of the consortium’s backers.
The initiative will be privately financed and rolled out in phases over the next five years. Developers say it will ease congestion and cut transit times compared with traditional data routes that pass through the Suez Canal.
The announcement comes shortly after Saudi Arabia and Syria revealed plans for a rival fibre-optic network, SilkLink, a roughly $1 billion project aimed at rehabilitating Syria’s infrastructure and positioning the country as a digital corridor between Asia and Europe.
In response to the UAE-Iraqi proposal, Syria’s telecoms ministry said additional infrastructure investment improves “route diversity and resilience for everyone,” adding that SilkLink is designed to provide low latency and high availability while remaining competitive on performance.
Beyond Tech 964, WorldLink’s sponsors include Iraq-Kurdish DIL Technologies and UAE-based Breeze Investments. Nayef Al Ameri, chairman of Breeze Investments, said the project reflects growing demand for AI-ready infrastructure. “AI infrastructure readiness is a necessity as we witness its adoption worldwide,” he said, adding that WorldLink aims to deliver the fastest and most reliable connectivity in the region.
The project aligns with Iraq’s broader efforts to reposition itself as a stable transit corridor after decades of conflict. In 2023, Baghdad launched its $17 billion “Development Road” rail-and-road initiative, designed to connect Faw to Turkey and strengthen Iraq’s role as a trade and logistics hub.
Together, these infrastructure plans signal a broader Gulf race to dominate digital and AI-driven connectivity routes linking Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
The Arab Weekly plus agencies, Maghrebi.org
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