Etisalat to lift international connectivity above 500 Tbps by 2030
Version 3: Additional coverage of the same launch appeared, and the current connectivity capacity of 20 Tbps, previously reported by one outlet, is now also cited by Arabian Business.
In short
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, witnessed in Abu Dhabi the launch of etisalat’s strategic project to expand digital infrastructure capacity at home and abroad, with plans to raise international connectivity capacity to more than 500 terabits per second by 2030. WAM and Emirates 24|7 described that as more than twenty-five times current capacity, while Gulf News and Arabian Business put the present figure at 20 Tbps. The documents give no cost, financing or phased timetable for the project.
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Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, witnessed in Abu Dhabi the launch of a strategic project by etisalat to develop and expand digital infrastructure capacity inside the UAE and abroad. According to WAM, Aletihad, Emirates 24|7 and Economy Middle East, he attended in his capacity as Chairman of the Emirates Investment Authority, described as the main shareholder in etisalat group, and was briefed on the group’s plans and future projects. Gulf News referred to the company carrying out the project as e&, one of the investments of the Emirates Investment Authority. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
Why it matters
The official account frames the project around the UAE’s readiness for rising demand from AI and the digital economy and its position in global digital infrastructure. That it was witnessed by a senior official who chairs the group’s main shareholder places it within state-linked economic planning. None of the documents discloses cost, financing or an implementation schedule, so the practical scale and timing cannot be assessed from this coverage.
Key facts
- Etisalat launched a strategic project to develop and expand digital infrastructure capacity within the UAE and abroad, WAM reported. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- The project includes plans to expand international connectivity capacity to more than 500 terabits per second (Tbps) by 2030, described in WAM, Aletihad and Emirates 24|7 as an increase of over twenty-five times current capacity. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Gulf News and Arabian Business reported the current international connectivity capacity as 20 Tbps. [ 4 , 5 ]
- The project also includes developing diverse routes intended to improve connectivity efficiency and reliability and deliver low-latency performance. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, witnessed the launch. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Sheikh Mansour was briefed on the group’s plans in his capacity as Chairman of the Emirates Investment Authority, described as the main shareholder in etisalat group. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Sheikh Mansour said AI is a central pillar in the UAE’s development journey and that developing digital capabilities creates the ecosystem needed to harness its potential. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
- The documents do not state the project’s cost, financing or when work begins. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Etisalat launched a strategic project to develop and expand digital infrastructure capacity within the UAE and abroad. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- The project plans to expand international connectivity capacity to more than 500 Tbps by 2030, an increase of over twenty-five times current capacity. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Current international connectivity capacity is 20 Tbps, according to Gulf News and Arabian Business. [ 4 , 5 ]
- The project includes developing diverse routes designed to enhance connectivity efficiency and reliability with low-latency performance. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan is Chairman of the Emirates Investment Authority, the main shareholder in etisalat group. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, witnessed the launch in Abu Dhabi. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Sheikh Mansour said investing in digital infrastructure is a fundamental pillar for supporting emerging technologies and enabling a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- How much the project will cost and how it will be financed. No investment figure, funding source or budget appears in any of the documents.
- When the project starts and how it will be phased before 2030. The documents state only a 2030 capacity target and describe the plan as a launch; no schedule, phases or milestones are given.
- Whether the operating company should be referred to as etisalat or e&. WAM, Aletihad, Emirates 24|7 and Economy Middle East refer to etisalat group, while Gulf News refers to the launch by e&; the documents do not reconcile the two names.
- Whether the business outlets’ reports contain information beyond the official account. Aletihad, Emirates 24|7 and Economy Middle East carry the same text and figures as the official WAM account, and Arabian Business published only a feed summary; Gulf News’s added detail rests on a single outlet’s reporting.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- WAM publishes the official report of the launch, witnessed by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, of etisalat’s project to raise international connectivity capacity beyond 500 Tbps by 2030. [ 1 ]
- Aletihad publishes its version of the announcement, carried from the WAM account. [ 2 ]
- Emirates 24|7 publishes its version of the same announcement. [ 3 ]
- Gulf News publishes its report, adding the current capacity of 20 Tbps and referring to the company as e&. [ 4 ]
- Arabian Business publishes a summary reporting the plan to raise capacity from 20 Tbps to more than 500 Tbps by 2030. [ 5 ]
- Economy Middle East publishes the WAM account of the launch. [ 6 ]