Ooredoo’s $500M Cable Push Elevates Iraq’s Digital Role

The Qatari telecommunications company Ooredoo is set to invest over US$500 million in new international cable projects linking Oman, Iraq, Turkey, and Europe, positioning Iraq as a strategic digital hub.

The company’s CEO, Aziz Al-Uthman Fakhroo, told QNA the project will re-draw connectivity routes between the Middle East and Europe via Iraqi territory, noting that “this new system will enhance the flexibility of global networks, create alternative routes that bypass current challenges in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, and place the region at the heart of the international data network.”

The project is a major step for Iraq’s digital transformation, offering opportunities to modernise infrastructure, strengthen cybersecurity, and improve communication with global markets. It is expected to support sectors such as digital education, e-commerce, and financial services, while creating new avenues for foreign investment and the deployment of advanced technologies beyond Iraq’s traditional reliance on oil revenues.

By positioning Baghdad as a regional technology hub, the initiative enhances Iraq’s economic diplomacy and strengthens cooperation with neighbouring countries, including Turkey and the Gulf states. Ooredoo’s project also establishes Iraq as a key digital transit point, connecting regional and international markets and boosting the country’s influence in regional economic and investment strategies