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Syria is seeking to reclaim its place in the global digital economy after years of sanctions and technological isolation. It is drawing on its position between Europe, the Gulf and Asia, and on telecommunications and technology companies’ growing willingness to enter its market.
Damascus is betting on turning Syria into an international data corridor as countries across the region compete to attract investment in submarine cables and terrestrial networks, and to secure alternative routes for global communications traffic.
A key part of this effort is substantial Saudi investment in the Silk Link project, which aims to build a fibre-optic network connecting Syria to the surrounding region. Alongside it are agreements to develop subsea cables linking the Syrian coast to Cyprus and European networks, with US and European companies participating.
In October 2026, these efforts expanded to include official talks with Meta, the US company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, on restoring advertising and business services and potentially using the Syrian corridor to transmit data.
These projects raise questions about international companies’ commercial interests in Syria, the revenue Damascus could earn from cross-border data traffic, and the ownership and operating rights of the new networks. These questions are particularly relevant given competing corridors through Iraq and Turkey, and the different stages of Syria’s projects, ranging from signed agreements to plans awaiting implementation.
Who owns Syria’s new data corridor?
The project began to take shape on 13 May 2025, when Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology requested information from regional and international companies on building a national fibre-optic network. The request formed part of a plan to turn Syria into a regional hub for telecommunications and international data transmission.
The initial plans included connecting Damascus and Aleppo to switching centres in Palmyra and the eastern and southern regions, as well as the submarine cable landing station in Tartous, and establishing connection points with neighbouring countries. The project was to be developed through a public-private partnership, allowing international companies to help finance, build and operate it.
On 7 February 2026, Saudi Telecom Co. (stc), one of the region’s largest telecommunications companies, announced that it had won the bid to develop Silk Link in partnership with the Syrian sovereign wealth fund. The project forms part of the group’s strategy to expand its investment in cross-border infrastructure and connect Arab, Asian and European markets.
The Syrian sovereign wealth fund’s involvement as a partner has raised questions about its contribution and operating rights. Established by presidential decree in 2025, the fund is an economic institution affiliated with the presidency, with financial and administrative independence. Its remit includes investing resources and assets and establishing development projects.
The Silk Link agreement stipulates that ownership of the infrastructure will pass to the Syrian state as soon as it is built. The joint company will retain the right to operate it and derive economic benefit from it for 15 years, renewable for a further five. It will also have the exclusive right to supply capacity to telecommunications operators and service providers for seven and a half years, subject to pricing controls, without selling directly to end users.
The announced terms provide for a progressively increasing share of net international transit revenue, starting at 7.5 per cent during the first three years and rising to 20 per cent after the fifth year, alongside regulatory fees and a 1.5 per cent contribution to the universal service fund.
In an analysis published on 16 June 2026, Syrian lawyer Ali al-Khayyer, a former director of legal and government affairs at Syriatel, explained that an investor’s economic rights depend on the operating agreement and the legal and regulatory guarantees governing its relationship with the Syrian state.
Alongside the terrestrial network, Damascus moved to develop new maritime gateways. On 11 August 2026, US-based Unifi Communications, which specialises in international telecommunications and digital infrastructure, announced an agreement with the Syrian Telecommunications Establishment and the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority, Cyta, to build and maintain the Ugarit 2 cable. The agreement had been signed in Damascus on 28 July.
The project aims to build a 240-kilometre submarine cable between Tartous and the Pentaskhinos station in Cyprus. It will comprise 24 fibre pairs, with an initial capacity of 31 terabits per second, expandable to 370 terabits. Service is set to begin in early 2028.
Unifi disclosed that it is the main contractor and holds a 5 per cent stake in the project. It also obtained a licence from the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and export authorisation from the US Bureau of Industry and Security. NSW, part of Italy’s Prysmian Group, was assigned to supply the cable; Elettra to carry out marine installation; and Finland’s Nokia to provide optical transport equipment.
On 13 September 2026, the Syrian Ministry of Communications announced that it had signed the Ebla project agreement, with the same technical specifications, partners, route and launch date, suggesting that the two names may refer to the same maritime system. The ministry said the cable would provide direct connectivity to European networks via Cyprus, while Silk Link would distribute capacity within Syria and connect it to data centres, operators and border crossings.
Syria’s efforts also extend to another maritime project, Medusa, being developed by AFR-IX Telecom, a Barcelona-based telecommunications and infrastructure company. At the end of October 2025, the company announced that it had reached an agreement with the Syrian Telecommunications Establishment to establish a cable landing point in Tartous.
Medusa aims to build a high-capacity subsea communications network linking Mediterranean countries and providing additional routes between Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company also announced a partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Salam to extend connectivity towards the kingdom via Aqaba in Jordan, as part of projects aimed at linking the Mediterranean to the Arabian Peninsula.
In early September 2026, Communications Minister Abdulsalam Haykal spoke of a Syrian-Jordanian-Saudi effort to establish a new gateway for data transmission between the Mediterranean and Asia, passing through all three countries. Realising this plan depends on integrating terrestrial and maritime networks, finalising transit and interconnection agreements with neighbouring countries, and attracting telecommunications and cloud computing companies to buy capacity and use the new routes.
In August 2025, Haykal had explained that the ministry’s plan included two integrated projects: Silk Link, to establish the backbone network and transmit data between Europe and Asia, and Barq Net, to extend fibre-optic lines to homes and institutions. He noted that improving internet services also depended on upgrading local telecommunications networks and addressing electricity and infrastructure problems that affect service quality and reliability.
The importance of diversifying routes became clear on 15 June 2026, when the submarine cable between Tartous and Alexandria was sabotaged near the Syrian coast. The incident put a large share of international capacity out of service and reduced internet quality in several provinces. The Syrian Telecommunications Establishment was forced to rely on alternative routes through Cyprus and Türkiye until the cable was repaired and brought back online.
Syria’s projects face growing regional competition, particularly from Iraq, which is attracting investment in fibre-optic networks crossing its territory, drawing on its position between the Gulf and Türkiye. These projects are at different stages: some networks are already operating commercially, while others have announced investment plans extending over several years. Syria, meanwhile, has previous experience in the sector that faltered after the outbreak of the revolution.
Assessing the Syrian project’s prospects, economic affairs researcher Basel Kouifi warned that Silk Link’s implementation timetable of 18 to 24 months appeared optimistic given the challenges involving electricity, security and border coordination.
He stressed the need to price capacity fairly and make it available to operators while safeguarding cybersecurity. Attracting regular international data traffic, he argued, requires a stable operating environment that gives global telecommunications companies confidence in the Syrian route.
Economic expert Hassan Gharra said Silk Link offered Syria an opportunity to capitalise on its position between Asia and Europe, but linked its success to the development of local telecommunications networks and their ability to handle and distribute data traffic.
He pointed to advances in digital infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan and Türkiye, stressing the importance of upgrading mobile phone and internet networks alongside the international corridor to maximise the benefits for Syria’s economy.
Meta already has a commercial relationship with the Saudi investor in Silk Link. The US company is partnering with Center3, stc Group’s digital infrastructure arm, on the vast 2Africa subsea cable project.
On 17 November 2025, Meta announced the completion of the project’s main infrastructure, which links 33 countries across Africa, Europe and Asia. Including its extensions, the cable has a total length of about 45,000 kilometres. The partnership includes international telecommunications companies, among them Africa’s MTN through its subsidiary Bayobab, France’s Orange, Britain’s Vodafone and Telecom Egypt.
The project reflects a trend among major technology companies towards investing directly in subsea cables and securing the capacity their services need. Previous cooperation between Meta and stc also gives the two companies an established commercial relationship, although any use of the Syrian network remains dependent on new agreements and the route’s suitability for Meta’s needs.
What draws technology companies to Syria?
The legal environment for Syria’s technology sector began to change in 2025, when a series of European and US decisions lifted a large share of the economic and trade restrictions that had hampered investment and dealings with global companies.
The changes covered financial institutions and the infrastructure and telecommunications sectors. Sanctions remained in place on specific individuals and entities, alongside controls on exports of certain sensitive technologies.
The easing of restrictions helped open the door to the return of digital services and foreign investment. Technology companies, however, still face procedures involving legal compliance, payment methods and the activation of commercial products in the Syrian market.
In October 2025, Fares Akkad, Meta’s regional director for the Middle East and Africa, announced that advertisers could now target Syrian audiences through the company’s Ads Manager. He described the move as an opportunity for entrepreneurs, creators and small businesses to reach broader markets.
The announcement raised questions about whether users inside Syria could create advertising accounts, manage campaigns and make payments. Tests published by Syria Without Restrictions, a community initiative that monitors the availability of global digital services, showed that restrictions remained on several Meta tools. They also identified difficulties in using advertising services and payment options offered by other companies, including US-based Google.
On 11 October 2026, Haykal and Akkad discussed restoring commercial services on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, including advertising tools and business solutions. They also discussed opportunities for Meta to use Silk Link to diversify data transit routes through Syria, improve connection reliability and reduce latency for users in the region.
Akkad expressed interest in the opportunities the company’s platforms could offer small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly in reaching domestic and foreign markets and Syrian communities abroad. The two sides agreed to follow up on the issues raised and address obstacles to restoring commercial services, without announcing a date for their activation.
On 13 October, Akkad met Syrian Information Minister Khaled Zaarour. The meeting covered the development of digital communication between government institutions and citizens, the use of Meta platforms to deliver information and services, and efforts to improve user safety and curb misinformation. Deputy Information Minister for Digital Media and Development Mohammad Tufran also participated.
The outreach extended to other technology companies. On 12 October 2026, Haykal discussed ways to overcome legal and procedural obstacles to the return of Dell Technologies’ products and services with Samer Al-Jayousi, the company’s artificial intelligence sector director. The US company specialises in computers, servers and data centres.
The two sides also discussed cooperation on data centres and AI infrastructure, including using Silk Link networks to provide the necessary connectivity.
These companies’ potential commercial interests include advertising, digital consumer services, the development of local telecommunications networks, and data hosting, processing and international transmission. Expanding advertising and commercial activity is tied to payment methods, account verification and purchasing power. Data centres, meanwhile, require investment in electricity, cooling, security, computing and international connectivity.
Figures in the 2026 report by DataReportal, a platform that analyses digital use worldwide, illustrate the importance of the Syrian market. Syria had about 9.25 million internet users, representing 35.8 per cent of the population, while about 16.6 million people remained offline. Active mobile connections reached 20.1 million.
According to the report, the median fixed internet download speed was about 3.35 megabits per second, compared with 24.69 megabits per second on mobile internet. The figures reflect the need for network upgrades and better services, and show the scale of the digital infrastructure gap between Syria and more advanced regional markets.
Regional telecommunications companies have begun moving to capitalise on this market. On 30 June 2026, Kuwait’s Zain Group announced that it had won a licence to operate mobile telecommunications services in Syria for $747 million, under a 20-year concession extendable by five years.
The group will own 75 per cent of the new operating company, with a Syrian government entity holding the remaining 25 per cent. The plan involves investing more than $800 million in network development and the introduction of fifth-generation technology over the next decade. Zain Syria is targeting the first quarter of 2027 for the launch of its services.
The project also involves the new company taking over the existing network previously managed by the African telecommunications group MTN during a six-month transition period, ensuring continuity of service for about 6.3 million subscribers.
Bader Al-Kharafi, Zain Group’s vice chairman and CEO, said the company intended to draw on its expertise in network operations, cross-border digital services and the development of Syria’s business sector and start-up ecosystem.
The prospects for global companies’ return are also linked to financial sector reform. On 6 August 2026, the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank, the international development finance institution, approved a $100 million grant to modernise Syria’s financial sector.
The bank explained that widespread reliance on cash and weak digital payments infrastructure increased transaction costs and limited individuals’ and businesses’ access to financial services and international markets.
The project aims to develop payment systems and the technical infrastructure of the central bank and financial institutions, helping to expand electronic payments and improve oversight and financial stability. These are essential requirements for Syrian companies seeking to use paid advertising, engage in e-commerce, pay for services and collect revenue.
The new investments also raise questions of digital sovereignty, particularly as foreign companies acquire stakes in telecommunications networks and data centres, and government institutions increasingly deal with global platforms. These questions concern the rights to manage infrastructure, protect user data, determine where information is stored and processed, and establish legal safeguards governing access to data.
On 24 July 2026, Amnesty International called for Syria’s Cybercrime Law No. 20 of 2022 to be suspended until it is reformed, after documenting cases in which journalists and activists were detained for expressing their views online.
Heba Morayef, the organisation’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said the continued enforcement of the law’s provisions exposed critics of the authorities to the risk of prosecution for peaceful expression, despite the guarantees in the constitutional declaration.
Syria’s Ministry of Justice announced in June 2026 that it was reviewing the law and later issued instructions governing investigation and detention procedures in cybercrime cases. The legislative environment remains an influential factor in the future of digital investment, alongside competition regulation, data protection and the rights of operators and users.
Fares Akkad: The man leading Meta’s return to Syria
Fares Akkad emerged as a leading figure in Syria’s technological opening in October 2026, after representing Meta in official talks with the ministries of communications and information in Damascus. He brought nearly two decades of experience in consulting, digital media and technology, culminating in his oversight of the US company’s operations in the Middle East and Africa.
Akkad was born in Syria and received his higher education in the US, studying business administration at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. His professional biography states that he holds qualifications in business administration, information systems and biotechnology, and lives and works in Dubai.
He began his career in management consulting, working between 2008 and 2012 for international firms including Booz & Company, Boston Consulting Group and KPMG. He then moved to Saudi Arabia’s MBC, where he worked in distribution development and digital business between 2012 and 2017.
At MBC, Akkad helped expand the business of the Shahid digital streaming platform as Arab media institutions shifted towards online viewing services.
In an interview with management consulting firm Strategy&, he discussed his move from consulting into media and technology, and how he joined former colleagues to co-found Glambox, an e-commerce venture offering beauty product subscriptions.
In 2017, he joined Facebook to oversee media partnerships in the Middle East, Africa and Türkiye, before the parent company was renamed Meta in 2021.
Between 2020 and 2022, he moved into managing media partnerships in emerging markets, including Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. His responsibilities included working with media institutions, publishers and commercial partners across multiple markets.
In February 2022, the company announced his promotion to regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, effective the following month. His remit later expanded to cover the Middle East and Africa, as well as oversight of messaging and enterprise services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
According to Forbes Middle East’s list of technology leaders, published on 9 February 2026, Akkad also serves on the boards of UAE property developer Binghatti and vehicle and energy services platform CAFU. He also sits on the advisory board of Aleph Capital, which specialises in investing in companies.
His current responsibilities at Meta include managing business operations, commercial partnerships and relations with governments and regulators, as well as developing enterprise services linked to the company’s platforms, including WhatsApp Business solutions.
On 25 June 2026, Akkad said that more than one billion active conversations take place daily between businesses and customers through WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram, pointing to institutions’ growing reliance on messaging apps to deliver services.
His role explains his involvement in talks on restoring commercial services to Syria. Decisions on their availability, compliance requirements and infrastructure expansion remain subject to the company’s legal, commercial and technical procedures.
Before his meetings with Syrian officials, Akkad had attended technology events bringing together Syrian experts, companies and professionals from within the country and abroad. On 11 April 2026, he took part in the virtual Sync Spring conference, organised by Sync, an organisation that aims to connect Syrians working in technology with global companies and expertise.
During the conference, which Haykal also attended, Akkad delivered a session on the future of artificial intelligence, digital content and economic opportunities on global platforms.
Six months later, Akkad was among the speakers at Sync 2026, hosted by the Damascus Opera House on 9 and 10 October, with companies and experts attending from Syria and abroad. His official talks with the ministers of communications and information followed the conference, a year after the announcement that advertisers could once again target Syrian audiences through Meta’s advertising system.
Akkad’s ties to Syria give these meetings particular significance. After spending most of his professional career at international media and technology institutions, he returned as a representative of one of the world’s largest digital platform companies for talks on restoring its services to his country of origin.
As agreements on fibre-optic networks and subsea cables progress, and Damascus continues its talks with international technology companies, the Syrian corridor’s success will depend on completing its infrastructure, securing interconnection agreements with neighbouring countries, and attracting companies to buy capacity and use the network to transmit data between Europe, the Gulf and Asia.
Although the state will retain ownership of the infrastructure under Silk Link’s terms, the economic returns will depend on actual transit revenue, operational efficiency and the Syrian route’s ability to compete with other regional networks.