Qatar-U.A.E. Submarine Cable System

Overview

The Qatar-U.A.E. Submarine Cable System is a short-haul submarine cable connecting Qatar and the United Arab Emirates across the Persian Gulf. Spanning approximately 100 kilometres, it serves the bilateral corridor between these two neighbouring Gulf states and provides a direct subsea link between their respective landing points.

Route and Landings

In Qatar, the cable lands at two points: Doha, the country's capital, and Halul Island, an offshore island in the Gulf.

In the United Arab Emirates, the cable comes ashore at Abu Dhabi, the federal capital, and at Das Island, an offshore island in Abu Dhabi's territorial waters used as an energy production hub.

Ownership and Operators

The cable is jointly owned by Ooredoo and e&. Ooredoo is Qatar's primary international telecommunications operator, while e& (formerly Etisalat) is one of the UAE's leading telecommunications groups. The two-party ownership structure reflects the bilateral nature of the system.

Status and Timeline

The Qatar-U.A.E. Submarine Cable System was declared ready for service in 2004, making it one of the earlier direct subsea links established between the two countries.

Regional Context

The Qatar–UAE corridor is also served by several long-haul international systems, including Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1), which became operational in 2017, and the 2Africa cable, which entered service in 2024. SeaMeWe-6 is expected to add further capacity to the corridor when it enters service in 2026. Against this backdrop of large intercontinental systems—ranging from roughly 12,000 km to 45,000 km in length—the Qatar-U.A.E. Submarine Cable System occupies a distinct position as a dedicated, short bilateral link at just 100 km.

Measured performance over the past 60 days, based on 45 ping tests, records an average round-trip latency of 117.0 ms, with a best observed result of 111.2 ms.

Strategic Role

By landing at both mainland and offshore island locations in each country—Doha and Halul Island in Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Das Island in the UAE—the cable supports connectivity not only between the two capitals but also to offshore facilities in the Gulf. This combination of onshore and island terminations distinguishes it from purely terrestrial or long-haul alternatives serving the same bilateral pair.