Key takeaways
- SOCAR Fiber, a group company of SOCAR Türkiye, has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with EXA Infrastructure
- EXA Infrastructure is SOCAR Fiber’s first commercial external customer, providing connectivity services between the Türkiye-Greece and Türkiye-Georgia borders
- EXA will market SOCAR Fiber’s fiber infrastructure to global data center operators and cloud, content and technology organizations
- Kanan Mammadov, General Manager of SOCAR Fiber, says the agreement supports Türkiye’s positioning as a regional strategic data transit route
- The first phase connects the Georgian border; the second phase will connect the Iraqi border, avoiding the traditional Red Sea route
Strategic cooperation agreement signed
SOCAR Fiber, one of the group companies of SOCAR Türkiye, Türkiye's largest foreign direct investor and integrated industrial group, announced that it signed a strategic cooperation agreement with EXA Infrastructure. This new agreement will support SOCAR Fiber's expansion targets and strengthen the regional communication infrastructure with the fiber network provided by EXA Infrastructure over its global access networks.
The new agreement is an important step forward for SOCAR Fiber with EXA Infrastructure - its first commercial external customer - providing connectivity services over the fiber infrastructure owned by SOCAR Fiber between Türkiye-Greece and Türkiye-Georgia borders. This service is especially important for the acceleration of digital communication between Asia, the Middle East and Europe and its contribution to regional data transport.
Under the agreement SOCAR Fiber's fiber infrastructure will be marketed by EXA Infrastructure to global data center operators and cloud, content and technology organizations” This development will enable SOCAR Fiber to make significant contributions to the sector not only locally but also on a global scale.
What the executives said
Speaking about the agreement, Kanan Mammadov, General Manager of SOCAR Fiber, said: "Through the agreement we signed with EXA Infrastructure, one of the leading operators of digital infrastructure across Europe and to North America, we, as SOCAR Fiber, aim to support Türkiye's digital transformation and positioning as a regional strategic data transit route. The new communications infrastructure developed in the region will contribute to Türkiye becoming a major player in global digital networks by creating short overland routes for access between Europe, the Middle East and Asia."
Steve Roberts, SVP Strategic Investments and Product Management at EXA Infrastructure, added: “We are proud to be part of this project that will create new highly scalable and reliable routes within Turkiye, and for intercontinental traffic from Asia. The first phase will connect the Georgian border, aggregating traffic flowing through the south Caucasus and Central Asia, whilst the second phase will connect the Iraqi border to provide diversity for Middle Eastern traffic avoiding the traditional Red Sea route. Coupled with our previous investments into Trans Adriatic Express and the Balkan region this delivers the most modern and reliable fibre optic infrastructure connecting the Asian and European continents.”
SOCAR Fiber: Secure and Fast Communication Infrastructure
Since 2013, SOCAR Fiber has been providing secure communication services over its 1,850 km long fiber optic infrastructure on the TANAP Natural Gas Pipeline route. This fiber line stretches from east to west across Türkiye, passing through 20 provinces and 67 districts. This strong infrastructure continues to grow in line with not only local but also global digitalization targets.
SOCAR Fiber’s infrastructure
- Secure communication services since 2013
- 1,850 km long fiber optic infrastructure on the TANAP Natural Gas Pipeline route
- Stretches from east to west across Türkiye
- Passes through 20 provinces and 67 districts
SOCAR Fiber will further strengthen its positions regarding communication infrastructure services via this new agreement with EXA Infrastructure.
