Netanya, Israel

Netanya: Submarine Cable Landing Point

Netanya is a city in the Central District of Israel, situated on the Mediterranean coast of the Sharon plain, approximately 30 kilometres north of Tel Aviv and 56 kilometres south of Haifa. Its position along Israel's central coastline places it within a stretch of the eastern Mediterranean that has become home to several submarine cable landing points. Two submarine cables land at Netanya, connecting it to destinations across the Mediterranean basin and the Red Sea region.

The cables landing at Netanya serve distinct corridor functions. The EMC West-1 cable links Netanya to European shores and to Saudi Arabia, enabling intercontinental connectivity across the Mediterranean and toward the Arabian Peninsula. The Israel Coasting 1 (IC-1) cable, by contrast, operates as a domestic coastal link entirely within Israel. Together, these two cables make Netanya a landing point that combines international reach with intra-national connectivity.

Cables Landing at Netanya

EMC West-1 is a submarine cable system spanning 3,639 kilometres, with a scheduled ready-for-service year of 2027 (currently in draft status). In addition to Netanya, the cable connects to landing points in Greece, Italy, and Saudi Arabia. This routing positions Netanya as part of a corridor linking Israel to southern European nations and to the Arabian Peninsula via the Red Sea approach, traversing the eastern and central Mediterranean.

Israel Coasting 1 (IC-1) is a shorter cable of 340 kilometres that has been in service since 2000, making it the earliest submarine cable to land at Netanya. The cable connects exclusively to other landing points within Israel, functioning as a domestic coastal system rather than an international link. IC-1 was among the first submarine cable deployments in Israel's national infrastructure and reflects the early development of intra-country submarine connectivity along the Israeli coastline.

Regional Context

Within Israel's submarine cable geography, Netanya ranks alongside Ashkelon, Haifa, and Tirat Carmel, each of which also hosts two cables, placing Netanya in the middle tier of the country's eight landing points by cable count. Tel Aviv leads the national network with four cables, while Herzeliyya and Nahariyya each host a single cable. Netanya's two-cable profile positions it as a moderately connected node within the broader Israeli landing point network.

Network Role

Netanya functions as a two-cable landing point serving both international and domestic roles. The EMC West-1 cable, once operational in 2027, will extend Netanya's reach across the Mediterranean to Greece and Italy and southward to Saudi Arabia, inserting the city into an intercontinental cable corridor. The IC-1 cable complements this by tying Netanya into the national coastal cable network that has existed since 2000.

The combination of a long-standing domestic cable and a forthcoming intercontinental system gives Netanya a dual-function profile uncommon among Israel's smaller landing points. Within the regional submarine cable graph, Netanya's connection to both intra-Israeli and international cable routes reflects the layered architecture through which Israel's coastal cities collectively anchor the country's submarine connectivity.