UGARIT

UGARIT: A regional submarine cable linking Cyprus and Syria

The UGARIT submarine cable is a relatively short system spanning 239 kilometers, connecting Pentaskhinos in Cyprus to Tartous in Syria. Operational since 1995, it serves as one of the critical telecommunications links between the eastern Mediterranean islands and the mainland Middle East. The cable is owned by a consortium of operators, including major international carriers and regional telecom entities. What makes UGARIT particularly interesting is the lack of publicly disclosed technical specifications, such as design capacity, fiber count, or supplier details. Additionally, latency measurements and industry documentation raise questions about its real-world performance and operational specifics. This ambiguity underscores the challenges of analyzing older submarine systems with limited available data.

Quick facts

Name	UGARIT
Length	239 km
Ready for Service (RFS)	1995 (GeoCables database value)
Owners	A1 Telekom Austria, AT&T, BT, Cyta, Deutsche Telekom, Lebanese Ministry of Telecommunications, Orange, Singtel, Sparkle, Syrian Telecommunications Establishment, Tata Communications, Telefonica, Vivacom
Status	In service
Design Capacity	Not disclosed
Fiber Pairs	Not disclosed
Supplier	Not disclosed
Technology	Not disclosed
Landing Points	Pentaskhinos (Cyprus), Tartous (Syria)

Show UGARIT on the interactive cable map

Route

The UGARIT cable connects Pentaskhinos, located on the southern coast of Cyprus, to Tartous, a port city in western Syria. This corridor is part of the eastern Mediterranean region, an area with significant geopolitical and economic importance. Pentaskhinos serves as a hub for multiple submarine cables, including CADMOS, CADMOS-2, MedNautilus Submarine System, POSEIDON, and TE North/TGN-Eurasia/SEACOM/Alexandros/Medex. Similarly, Tartous hosts other cables such as Aletar, BERYTAR, and the Medusa Submarine Cable System.

Why it was built and what it carries

UGARIT was constructed to provide a direct telecommunications link between Cyprus and Syria, enabling voice, data, and potentially internet traffic between these two nations. Its existence reflects the broader trend of regional connectivity in the Mediterranean, where countries and islands are interconnected to facilitate trade, communication, and digital exchange. While the cable's exact traffic composition is not publicly disclosed, it likely carries a mix of commercial, government, and residential data.

History: what can be established

The GeoCables database records UGARIT's Ready for Service (RFS) date as 1995. However, industry sources occasionally report discrepancies for older cables, especially when ownership or operational control changes over time. If other sources suggest a conflicting RFS year, potential explanations could include delays in documentation, phased activation of segments, or confusion with upgrade dates. For UGARIT, no publicly available alternative RFS year has been identified, so 1995 remains the most reliable date.

Capacity and technology

Public records do not disclose UGARIT's design capacity, number of fiber pairs, or the specific technology employed in its construction. As a cable commissioned in the mid-1990s, it likely predates the widespread adoption of Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM), but this cannot be confirmed without operator documentation. Upgrades to older cables are common, meaning its current capacity could differ significantly from its original specifications.

Latency: the physics

Theoretical latency for UGARIT can be calculated based on its length of 239 km. Light propagation over this distance in fiber yields a one-way latency floor of approximately 1.2 milliseconds, with a round-trip time (RTT) floor of 2.3 milliseconds. However, live measurements from remote probes show significantly higher RTTs: 6.4 ms minimum (Tartous to Pentaskhinos) and 7.2 ms minimum (Pentaskhinos to Tartous). Average RTTs are even higher, suggesting additional latency introduced by land tails, terminal equipment, and routing inefficiencies. These figures highlight the difference between theoretical performance and real-world conditions.

Redundancy: what happens if it breaks

In the event of a failure, redundancy for UGARIT is supported by other cables landing at Pentaskhinos and Tartous. Pentaskhinos connects to multiple systems, including CADMOS, CADMOS-2, and TE North, while Tartous is linked to cables like Aletar and BERYTAR. These alternative routes provide diverse paths for rerouting traffic, although the specifics depend on the nature of the failure and the capacity of the alternative systems. Repairing submarine cables typically involves deploying specialized ships equipped with cable-laying and splicing technology, a process that can take days to weeks depending on the location and severity of the damage.

Bottom line

• UGARIT is a 239 km submarine cable connecting Cyprus and Syria, operational since 1995.
• Its technical specifications, including design capacity and fiber pairs, are not publicly disclosed.
• Latency measurements suggest real-world RTTs significantly higher than theoretical calculations.
• Redundancy is provided by other cables landing at Pentaskhinos and Tartous.
• Publicly available data does not confirm technological upgrades or supplier details.