Connectivity & telecom infrastructure
Three foreign-backed infrastructure mega-projects were announced within eight months in 2026 — but median fixed-line speeds are still under 4 Mbps.
Syria is rebuilding its network mobile-first: only about a third of the population is online on fixed connections, while cellular penetration is close to 78%. 2026 brought the first wave of large, named commitments in over a decade to fix that gap — a new mobile operator, a Saudi-backed fibre buildout, and a new submarine cable.
Key developments
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Sep 2026
Ebla submarine cable agreement signed
Syria, Cyprus's Cyta and US-based UNIFI Communications will link Tartous to Cyprus, replacing the 1995-era AUGER cable, targeted for early 2028.
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Jun 2026
Zain awarded a 25-year mobile license
A $747 million bid brought Kuwait's Zain Group in as a new national mobile operator.
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Feb 2026
stc signs the Silklink fibre project
Saudi Telecom committed over SAR 3 billion (~$800M) to 4,500+ km of new fibre and international cable landing stations.
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Nov 2025
DataReportal: 9.25M internet users, 35.8% penetration
Median mobile speeds (24.69 Mbps) run more than 7x fixed-broadband speeds (3.35 Mbps).
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Why this matters for SADT
License terms, buildout milestones and penetration data are each sitting in separate press releases today. A public, updated timeline is exactly what a "Digital Syria Observatory" could add.