Grid Telecom places Crete on International Broadband Maps

Crete is placed with emphasis on the international broadband network maps, as Grid Telecom proceeds to assign formal names to its subsea fiber optic cables that connect the island with the Greek mainland, in parallel with the subsea electrical interconnections to Peloponnese and Attica regions. With this move, which is of strategic importance and is aligned with international good practices, Grid Telecom, as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Independent Power Transmission Operator of Greece, increases the prospects of commercial exploitation of its state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure. At the same time, it enhances the “visibility” of the cables landing in Crete, promoting the island as a regional telecommunications hub, along the corridors of the international subsea cable systems, passing through the Mediterranean. The double fiber optic cable system that connects Crete with the Peloponnese region, which is already in operation, has been assigned the names MINOAS-EAST and MINOAS-WEST. Accordingly, the double fiber optic cable system that has recently been installed between Pachi, Megara in the Attica region and Heraklion in Crete, in parallel with the electrical interconnection under construction, has been assigned the names APOLLO-EAST and APOLLO-WEST. Utilizing the fiber optic cables of total length 940 km, interconnecting the island of Crete with the broadband networks in mainland Greece and other European destinations beyond, Grid Telecom accomplishes to add capacity of hundreds of Tbps for data transfer, through four geographically alternative routes. In this way, Grid Telecom offers important telecommunications corridors of high capacity and reliability with diversity, further consolidating its position as a major carrier-neutral wholesale provider in Greece, creating the foundations for the development of digital infrastructure of strategic importance and great geopolitical value in Crete. The Director of Grid Telecom, Mr. George Psyrris, said: “Our initiative to formally identify the subsea fiber optic cable systems landing in Crete with names inspired by the Greek mythology, increases visibility and recognition for these critical systems, significantly expanding prospects for their commercial exploitation, attracting new business partnerships with telecommunications organizations, inside and outside Greece. Grid Telecom, through an extensive optical network of high availability that exceeds 4,000 km, is constantly developing and expanding new alternative national and international systems, strengthening its position in the wholesale telecommunications market”.