Qatar’s Ooredoo Plans $500M+ Push for New Overland Data Routes Linking Oman–Iraq–Turkey–Europe

(EN) Times Square Global Live | Digital Infrastructure / Global Governance

By Winny Power, Founder & Editor-in-Chief | Times Square Global Live (TSGL)
Reporting based on public sources.

New York / Doha | 25 November 2025
Qatar’s telecommunications group Ooredoo plans to invest more than $500 million in international cable projects designed to create new land-based connectivity routes linking Oman, Iraq, Turkey, and Europe, according to a Reuters report citing Qatar’s state news agency.
Ooredoo CEO Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo said the initiative aims to speed connection times and strengthen the resilience of global networks by providing alternative pathways that can bypass geopolitical chokepoints and infrastructure vulnerabilities, including disruptions tied to the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.
The strategy comes amid growing concern over the fragility of global digital infrastructure. Reuters noted that electronic interference affecting ship navigation surged around the Strait of Hormuz during the Israel–Iran war in June, while repeated subsea cable outages in the Red Sea have impacted internet connectivity across multiple countries.
Fakhroo said the new system would “enhance the flexibility of global networks” and help place the region “at the heart of the international data network,” reflecting a wider competition among Gulf and regional actors to position themselves as critical hubs for cloud, data-center, and cross-border connectivity.

（中文）时代广场全球直播间｜数字基建 / 全球治理
卡塔尔电信集团Ooredoo拟投资逾5亿美元建设国际“陆上”数据通道：连接阿曼—伊拉克—土耳其—欧洲，提升网络韧性

纽约 / 多哈｜2025年11月25日
【纽约/多哈讯】据路透社援引卡塔尔国家通讯社消息报道，卡塔尔电信集团 Ooredoo 计划在国际电缆项目上投资超过5亿美元，打造新的陆上连接通道，将阿曼—伊拉克—土耳其—欧洲串联起来，以缩短连接时间并提升全球网络的灵活性与韧性。
Ooredoo首席执行官 Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo 表示，该系统将为全球网络提供替代线路，帮助绕开包括红海与霍尔木兹海峡在内的潜在风险点与“瓶颈地带”。
路透社指出，相关布局与近期多起事件密切相关：在今年6月以伊冲突背景下，霍尔木兹海峡及周边海域的商船导航系统遭遇电子干扰情况增加；同时，红海多次发生海底电缆故障，影响多个国家的互联网连通性，凸显全球数字基础设施的脆弱性。
Fakhroo称，这一新系统将“增强全球网络的灵活性”，并推动该地区在国际数据网络中扮演更核心角色。

About Times Square Global Live (TSGL)
Times Square Global Live (TSGL), which I founded in 2017, is a New York–based independent media platform focusing on United Nations affairs, global governance, and sustainable development. TSGL serves as an important bridge to Chinese-speaking audiences worldwide. Reporting from the heart of Manhattan, we aim to bring UN debates and decisions closer to the public, amplifying diverse voices from conflict zones, diasporas, and civil society.
时代广场全球直播间（TSGL）简介
时代广场全球直播间（Times Square Global Live，简称 TSGL）于2017年在纽约创立，是一家立足纽约的独立媒体平台，聚焦联合国事务、全球治理与可持续发展。TSGL 致力于成为连接全球华语受众的重要桥梁。我们以曼哈顿核心区域为报道基地，力求将联合国的议题讨论与决策动态以更贴近公众、更易理解的方式呈现，放大来自冲突地区、侨民社群与公民社会的多元声音。