Kuwait-Iran

Overview

Kuwait-Iran is a regional submarine cable system connecting Iran and Kuwait across the Persian Gulf. Spanning 380 km, it provides a direct bilateral link between the two neighbouring countries, serving the Gulf corridor between their respective coastal landing points.

Route and Landings

In Iran, the cable lands at three points: Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, and Chabahar, distributed along the country's southern coastline facing the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

In Kuwait, the cable lands at Al Safat and Kuwait City, both situated on Kuwait's Arabian Gulf coast.

Ownership and Operators

The cable is jointly owned by the Kuwait Ministry of Communications and the Telecommunication Infrastructure Company of Iran. The Kuwait Ministry of Communications is the state authority responsible for telecommunications infrastructure in Kuwait, while the Telecommunication Infrastructure Company of Iran manages state-owned telecom infrastructure on the Iranian side.

Status and Timeline

Kuwait-Iran entered service in 2005 and is currently operational, connecting the five landing points across both countries.

Regional Context

The Persian Gulf corridor is served by a number of submarine cable systems of varying scale and scope. Kuwait-Iran, at 380 km, is a compact bilateral system focused exclusively on the Iran–Kuwait link. By comparison, FALCON (ready for service in 2006) and the Gulf Bridge International Cable System/MENA (ready for service in 2012) serve both Iran and Kuwait as part of much longer multi-country routes spanning 10,300 km and 5,270 km respectively. The 2Africa cable, ready for service in 2024, reaches Kuwait as part of a 45,000 km system. Earlier regional systems include Fiber Optic Gulf (FOG), serving Kuwait since 1998, and UAE-Iran, which has connected Iran since 1992. Kuwait-Iran thus occupies a specific niche as a direct, shorter-distance connection between the two countries predating several of the larger regional systems.

Based on 83 ping tests conducted over the past 60 days, the cable records an average round-trip latency of 177.8 ms, with a best observed measurement of 162.8 ms.

Strategic Role

With five landing points spread across both countries — three in Iran and two in Kuwait — Kuwait-Iran distributes connectivity to multiple coastal locations rather than concentrating traffic through a single terminal on each side. This configuration supports connectivity across a stretch of the Iranian coast that includes geographically distinct ports, alongside both of Kuwait's designated landing sites, providing bilateral submarine capacity directly between the two states.