UAE-Iran

Overview

UAE-Iran is a short bilateral submarine cable connecting Iran and the United Arab Emirates across the Persian Gulf. Spanning 170 km, it forms a direct link between the two neighboring countries and represents one of the earliest submarine cable connections in the region, having entered service in 1992.

Route and Landings

In Iran, the cable lands at Jask, a coastal town on the Gulf of Oman shore of the country. In the United Arab Emirates, the cable lands at Fujairah, located on the UAE's eastern coast facing the Gulf of Oman.

Ownership and Operators

The cable is jointly owned by Telecommunication Infrastructure Company of Iran and e&. e& (formerly Etisalat) is the UAE's principal telecommunications group, operating across multiple international markets. Telecommunication Infrastructure Company of Iran is the state-backed entity responsible for managing Iran's telecommunications infrastructure assets.

Technical Profile

At 170 km, UAE-Iran is a relatively short system by regional standards, consistent with its role as a direct bilateral link rather than a long-haul intercontinental route.

Status and Timeline

UAE-Iran entered service in 1992, making it one of the oldest submarine cables still in operation in the Gulf corridor. As of today, it has been operational for 34 years.

Regional Context

The Gulf of Oman corridor served by UAE-Iran is also traversed by several much longer international systems including 2Africa, Asia Africa Europe-1, PEACE Cable, SeaMeWe-6, Europe India Gateway, and IMEWE, all of which extend far beyond the bilateral scope of UAE-Iran. At 170 km, UAE-Iran is shorter than the large majority of cables touching the same two countries, exceeding only 13% of comparable systems by length — a reflection of its focused, point-to-point purpose rather than any long-distance transit role.

Measured round-trip latency over the cable averages 9.8 ms, with a best recorded figure of 8.0 ms, consistent with the short physical distance between Jask and Fujairah.

Strategic Role

UAE-Iran provides a direct submarine connection between the Iranian coast at Jask and the UAE at Fujairah. As Iran's submarine cable infrastructure comprises five cables landing at five points — with UAE-Iran being the country's first such system — this cable represents a foundational element of Iran's international connectivity via the Gulf of Oman. For Fujairah, one of the UAE's key cable landing hubs, it adds a short-range bilateral link to a landing point that otherwise primarily serves long-haul intercontinental routes.