Exelera North: A regional submarine cable connecting Israel and Cyprus
Exelera North is a submarine telecommunications cable linking
Tirat Carmel in Israel to
Yeroskipos in Cyprus. Spanning 345 km, the cable is owned by Exelera and has been listed as in service since 2012 according to GeoCables records. It provides connectivity between two key locations in the Eastern Mediterranean, where several other submarine cables also converge.
What makes Exelera North particularly noteworthy is the limited public information available about its technical specifications, such as design capacity, fiber pairs, and supplier. This lack of transparency contrasts with many other submarine cables, which often have detailed technical data disclosed by their operators. Additionally, live latency measurements from remote probes indicate significant variability in end-to-end performance, underscoring the complexity of interpreting real-world network behavior versus theoretical physics.
Quick facts
| Cable Name | Exelera North |
| Length | 345 km |
| Ready-for-Service Year | 2012 (GeoCables database; no conflicting data found) |
| Owner | Exelera |
| Status | In service |
| Design Capacity | Not disclosed |
| Fiber Pairs | Not disclosed |
| Supplier | Not disclosed |
| Landing Points | Tirat Carmel (Israel), Yeroskipos (Cyprus) |
Route
Exelera North connects Tirat Carmel, a coastal city in northern Israel, to Yeroskipos, near Paphos in western Cyprus. Both locations are hubs for submarine cable landings, with Tirat Carmel hosting the
MedNautilus Submarine System and Yeroskipos serving as a landing point for multiple cables, including
Blue,
Hawk,
Medusa Submarine Cable System,
PEACE Cable, and
POSEIDON. This corridor facilitates regional connectivity and serves as a gateway for data traffic between the Middle East and Europe.
Why it was built and what it carries
The cable was likely constructed to enhance connectivity between Israel and Cyprus, two countries with growing digital economies and strategic locations in the Eastern Mediterranean. While specific details about its capacity and usage are not publicly disclosed, Exelera North most likely carries internet traffic, private data circuits, and potentially serves as a backup route for other regional cables. Its role in the broader network ecosystem is reinforced by the presence of multiple alternative cables at both landing points.
History: what can be established
Exelera North was recorded as ready for service in 2012 by GeoCables. No conflicting dates have been identified in industry sources, making this timeline reliable. However, details about its construction, commissioning, and initial operational milestones remain undisclosed. The cable's status as "in service" suggests it continues to operate without major interruptions.
Capacity and technology
Publicly available sources do not disclose the design capacity, number of fiber pairs, or supplier for Exelera North. Without operator documentation, attributing specific technological features would be speculative. It is unclear whether the cable has undergone upgrades since its commissioning, a common practice for older systems to meet growing demand.
Latency: the physics
Theoretical one-way light propagation over Exelera North's 345 km wet segment is approximately 1.7 ms, yielding a round-trip time (RTT) floor of 3.4 ms. However, real-world latency measurements from remote probes show significantly higher values due to land-based network factors, equipment delays, and routing inefficiencies.
For example:
- Tirat Carmel to Yeroskipos: Minimum recorded RTT is 110.8 ms, with an average of 132.5 ms over 87 checks.
- Yeroskipos to Tirat Carmel: Minimum RTT is 48.4 ms, with an average of 97.3 ms over 56 checks.
These measurements reflect the full internet path, not the cable itself. Notably, a measurement from Jerusalem to Tirat Carmel shows a minimum RTT of 2.9 ms, which is below the physical floor of 3.4 ms. This discrepancy is a measurement artifact, likely caused by rate-limited ICMP replies from intermediate routers, and should not be interpreted as actual cable performance.
Redundancy: what happens if it breaks
If Exelera North were to experience an outage, data traffic could be rerouted through other submarine cables at its landing points. Tirat Carmel hosts the MedNautilus Submarine System, while Yeroskipos is connected to Blue, Hawk, Medusa Submarine Cable System, PEACE Cable, and POSEIDON. These alternatives provide redundancy for regional connectivity, though repair logistics for submarine cables can be complex and time-consuming, often requiring specialized vessels and favorable weather conditions.
Bottom line
- Exelera North is a 345 km submarine cable linking Tirat Carmel (Israel) and Yeroskipos (Cyprus).
- Owned by Exelera, it has been in service since 2012 according to GeoCables records.
- Technical details such as design capacity, fiber pairs, and supplier are not publicly disclosed.
- Theoretical latency is 3.4 ms RTT for the wet segment, but real-world measurements are much higher due to network factors.
- Redundancy is provided by multiple cables at both landing points, ensuring regional connectivity in case of outages.