Israel has announced plans to construct a 254-kilometre fibre-optic cable between the Mediterranean and Red Sea, creating a continuous link between countries in Europe and the Gulf and Asia. The cable will be built by state-owned energy group EAPC, which will lay it along the route of an oil pipeline it operates from Ashkelon on the Mediterranean to Eilat on the Red Sea. The cable will connect to subsea cables that reach Israel's shores and will be available to any telecom company licensed in the country under a 25-year lease. EAPC offers its pipeline as an alternative to the Suez Canal.
Critics have raised concerns about the potential environmental impact of the pipeline, citing the company's past safety incidents. One such incident occurred in 2014 when a breach in the pipeline caused 5 million litres of oil to spill into a nearby desert nature reserve. However, the ministry has stated that the installation of the fibre-optic cable will aid in detecting any terrain changes or leaks along the pipeline route.
