UGARIT

Overview

UGARIT is a short regional submarine cable system spanning 239 km in the eastern Mediterranean, connecting Cyprus and Syria. It serves a bilateral corridor between these two countries and represents one of the earlier cable links established in this part of the Mediterranean basin.

Route and Landings

In Cyprus, the cable lands at Pentaskhinos. In Syria, the cable lands at Tartous. These two landing points define the full extent of the system.

Ownership and Operators

UGARIT is owned by a consortium of telecommunications carriers: A1 Telekom Austria, AT&T, BT, Cyta, Deutsche Telekom, the Lebanese Ministry of Telecommunications, Orange, and Singtel. The ownership group brings together European, American, Middle Eastern, and Asian operators, reflecting the international investment model common in submarine cable infrastructure of its era.

Status and Timeline

UGARIT entered service in 1995, making it 31 years operational. It stands as one of the earliest submarine cables to land in Syria, which received its first submarine cable connection in that same year.

Regional Context

Within the Cyprus–Syria corridor, UGARIT is a compact system at 239 km, longer than approximately 31% of the other cables touching the same countries. Cyprus has developed into a well-connected hub in the eastern Mediterranean, with 12 submarine cables landing across four landing points. Several more recent cables in this corridor are considerably longer and of higher capacity, including the Medusa Submarine Cable System, which connects Cyprus and Syria and is due to reach service in 2026, and the PEACE Cable, which lands in Cyprus and extends over 25,000 km. Other cables serving the Cypriot side of this corridor include MedNautilus, Blue, Hawk, and POSEIDON, all of which postdate UGARIT. Measured performance over the past 60 days, based on 77 ping tests, shows an average round-trip latency of 57.4 ms, with a best recorded figure of 6.3 ms.

Strategic Role

UGARIT provides a direct submarine connection between Cyprus and Syria, with its Tartous landing point serving as Syria's sole submarine cable landing location. Commissioned in 1995 with a broad international ownership group, the cable has maintained its role in the Cyprus–Syria corridor for three decades, during which the broader regional cable environment has expanded considerably around it.