Node of a new underwater high-speed Internet route in Greece

Seventeen communications companies signed a deal on 27 January 2014 in Hong Kong to build and maintain an ultra-high-speed international submarine cable. It's about it AAE-1 (Asia, Africa Europe-1) - name that can be followed by others - with 100Gbps technology and total capacity 40Tbps.

This underwater cable creates an alternative route to existing underwater cables characterized as overloaded, and even low latency. Among 17, and the OTE Group through its subsidiary, OTEGLOBE.

^{See at submarinecablemap.com a map of submarine cables and focus on Greece.}Also involved in the project are China Unicom (China), Chuan Wei (Cambodia), Djibouti Telecom (Djibouti), Etisalat (United Arab Emirates), Mobily (Saudi Arabia), Omantel (Oman), Ooredoo (Qatar), PCCW Global (Hong Kong), Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited PTCL (Pakistan), Telecom Egypt (Egypt), TeleYemen (Yemen), TOT (Thailand),  Viettel (Vietnam) and three other providers from other countries not named.

AAE-1 will have two alternative points of presence (PoP) in Asia (in Hong Kong and Singapore) and three alternative interconnection points in Europe (via Franceς, Ιταλίας και Ελλάδας), και έτσι θα παρέχει alternatives options to both consortium members and their customers.

The signing of the construction and maintenance contract marked the beginning of construction work. The new cable is expected to complete 2016.

Upon completion and commercial disposal, the AAE-1 will now connect Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Yemen, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Greece, Italy and France.

AAE-1 is characterized as one of the world's largest underwater cable systems, covering about 25.000 kilometers, and will be one of the few to link Hong Kong and Singapore, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

The construction of the new cable is expected to cause rapid growth in participating companies and countries, providing secure, reliable and fast interconnection.

The OTE Group explains that with this investment through its subsidiary OTEGLOBE, Greece is emerging as "Europe's dominant telecommunications hub". The Executive General Manager of the OTE Group, Mr. Zacharias Piperidis, stated: “Utilizing the geographical position of our country and looking to the requirements of the future, we managed to bring to Greece one of the largest cable systems in the world, AAE- 1, thus establishing Greece as the new major telecommunications hub of the Mediterranean and Europe in general. The benefit is great for our country and the OTE Group, but it is equally great for our customers, as with this new important investment we ensure the coverage of their growing needs for high quality global interconnection. "

This investment will be added to the investments of € 1,2 billion of the OTE Group, in the next 4 years in Greece, a significant part of which concerns New Generation fixed and mobile telephony networks.