Kardesa

Kardesa: Planned Submarine Cable Connecting Eastern Europe and the Black Sea Region

The Kardesa submarine cable is a planned telecommunications infrastructure project designed to connect four landing points across the Black Sea region: Aheloy in Bulgaria, Odessa in Ukraine, Poti in Georgia, and Sile in Turkey. With an approximate length of 1,385 kilometers, the cable is expected to be ready for service in 2027, according to GeoCables database records. It is jointly owned by Neqsol Holding and Vodafone, two major players in the telecommunications and technology sectors. While the cable is not yet operational, its future role is significant in providing enhanced connectivity between Eastern Europe and the Caucasus region. However, several technical details, including design capacity, fiber pair count, and supplier information, remain undisclosed in public sources. This lack of transparency leaves room for speculation about the cable's ultimate performance characteristics.

Quick facts

Name	Kardesa
Length	1,385 km
Ready for Service (RFS)	2027 (GeoCables database)
Owners	Neqsol Holding, Vodafone
Status	Planned - Not yet in operation
Design Capacity	Not disclosed
Fiber Pairs	Not disclosed
Supplier	Not disclosed
Landing Points	Aheloy (Bulgaria), Odessa (Ukraine), Poti (Georgia), Sile (Turkey)

Show Kardesa on the interactive cable map

Route

The Kardesa cable will traverse the Black Sea, connecting four key landing points in Bulgaria, Ukraine, Georgia, and Turkey. Aheloy, located on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, serves as the westernmost landing point. Odessa, a major port city in Ukraine, represents the northern terminus. Poti, a Georgian port city, is situated in the eastern Black Sea region and is already a landing site for other cables such as the Caucasus Cable System and Georgia-Russia. Sile, located near Istanbul, Turkey, anchors the southern end of the route. This corridor will provide enhanced regional connectivity and potentially serve as a bridge between Europe and Asia.

Why it was built and what it carries

The Kardesa cable was conceived to address the growing demand for high-speed, low-latency connectivity in the Black Sea region. By linking Bulgaria, Ukraine, Georgia, and Turkey, the cable aims to improve internet infrastructure and facilitate data transmission between Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. While specific details about its capacity and technology are not publicly disclosed, the involvement of Neqsol Holding and Vodafone suggests that the cable will be designed to support modern telecommunications needs, including enterprise data, cloud services, and regional internet traffic.

History: what can be established

According to GeoCables records, the Kardesa cable is expected to be ready for service in 2027. However, as of now, it remains in the planning phase and has not yet been deployed. Publicly available information does not indicate any earlier target dates, nor does it provide details about construction milestones or supplier agreements. If industry sources were to suggest a different RFS year, it would be important to investigate whether the discrepancy stems from delays, project updates, or conflicting data.

Capacity and technology

The design capacity of the Kardesa cable, along with the number of fiber pairs and the supplier, has not been disclosed in public sources. Without operator documentation, attributing specific technological characteristics would be speculative. Given the ownership by Neqsol Holding and Vodafone, it is reasonable to expect that the cable will incorporate advanced fiber-optic technologies, but this cannot be confirmed without further details.

Latency: the physics

The theoretical one-way light propagation latency for the 1,385 km wet segment of the Kardesa cable is approximately 6.8 milliseconds, resulting in a round-trip time (RTT) floor of 13.6 milliseconds. However, real-world latency will be higher due to additional factors such as terrestrial network segments, routing, and terminal equipment delays. GeoCables live measurements, which assess the full internet path rather than the cable itself, show latency values that include land tails and intermediate network hops. For example, the Tbilisi to Poti route shows a minimum latency of 1.3 ms, which is below the theoretical floor and is therefore a measurement artifact caused by rate-limited ICMP replies. Other measurements, such as Sydney to Poti (min 326.8 ms) and Odessa to Aheloy (min 42.1 ms), reflect the broader internet path rather than the cable's pure performance. These values should not be interpreted as indicative of the cable's latency.

Redundancy: what happens if it breaks

If the Kardesa cable were to experience an outage, redundancy in the corridor would depend on other cables serving the region. At Poti, the Caucasus Cable System and Georgia-Russia cable provide alternative routes for connectivity. However, the extent to which these cables can absorb traffic from Kardesa would depend on their own capacity and operational status. Repairs to submarine cables typically involve specialized vessels and equipment, with timelines varying based on the nature of the fault, weather conditions, and accessibility of the affected segment.

Bottom line

• Kardesa is a planned submarine cable connecting Bulgaria, Ukraine, Georgia, and Turkey across the Black Sea.
• Expected ready-for-service year is 2027, but the cable is not yet operational.
• Ownership is shared between Neqsol Holding and Vodafone.
• Key technical details, including design capacity, fiber pairs, and supplier, are not publicly disclosed.
• Theoretical latency floor is 13.6 ms RTT over the wet segment, but real-world values will be higher.
• Redundancy in the corridor includes other cables at Poti, such as the Caucasus Cable System and Georgia-Russia.