Vodafone Ukraine, in collaboration with Vodafone Group, has announced the launch of the Kardesa undersea cable project, which will connect Ukraine, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Georgia. This cable will traverse the Black Sea and will form a crucial part of the digital infrastructure linking Europe and Asia while bypassing Russian routes. This was reported by the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
According to the information, the main partner in Europe is the global Vodafone. The financing for the undersea segment in the Black Sea will be partially supported by Ukrainian Vodafone, in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
The ministry emphasized the importance of this project for Ukraine:
- Enhancing digital sovereignty and security. The new cable will significantly improve the reliability of Ukraine's telecommunications infrastructure.
- New transit opportunities. Ukraine will become a key transit hub between Europe and Asia.
- Investment and job creation. The project will stimulate infrastructure development, attract investments, and create new jobs, particularly for engineers and IT specialists.
The Kardesa cable will provide an additional capacity of 500 Tbps for the Black Sea region, which is critically important for the growing traffic volumes associated with 5G, artificial intelligence, and streaming services. The project is estimated to cost over 100 million euros.
Construction of the initial section in Bulgaria is scheduled to begin in 2027. In Ukraine, all works will be conducted exclusively in internationally recognized safe zones, contingent on stability and security in the region.
