The new high-capacity Artemis system underlines Grid Telecom’s strategy to position Crete as a major connectivity hub in the Eastern Mediterranean
Grid Telecom has announced plans to construct a new subsea optical fibre cable system, Artemis, connecting the island of Crete with mainland Greece, as part of a broader effort to strengthen regional digital infrastructure and international connectivity.
The Artemis system, unveiled this week in Athens, will link Crete with the Attica region through a subsea route of around 280 kilometres, including terrestrial segments to the relevant landing stations. Equipped with subsea repeaters, the cable is designed to support transmission speeds of up to 30 Tbps per fibre pair and will include at least 24 fibre pairs, delivering a total design capacity of no less than 720 Tbps.
According to Grid Telecom, the relatively short distance between Crete and the mainland will allow the system to take advantage of expanded optical spectrum capabilities. This opens the possibility for Artemis to evolve into the first petabit-class subsea cable system in Greece and the wider Mediterranean region, with potential total capacity exceeding one petabit per second, according to the operator.
The choice of Crete reflects a longer-term strategy outlined by the company in October, when it set out ambitions to establish the island as a key digital hub linking Europe, Africa and Asia. Crete already hosts several subsea and terrestrial assets operated or co-owned by Grid Telecom, including the Minoas East-West and Apollo East-West systems, which together provide four diverse routes to the Greek mainland and a total of 96 fibre pairs.
“These investments are about resilience, diversity and long-term scalability,” the operator said, noting that Artemis will complement existing infrastructure by adding further route diversity and capacity between Crete and Attica. The Minoas system connects Chania to the Peloponnese, while the Apollo system provides a direct link between Heraklion and Attica without intermediate landings.
As part of the Artemis project, Grid Telecom will also proceed with the construction of new cable landing stations in Chania and Attica. These facilities are intended not only to support the new system but also to act as gateways for international subsea cables crossing the Eastern Mediterranean. Artemis will incorporate Open Cable Interface Equipment, allowing interoperability with other cable systems and reducing the need for additional terminal infrastructure.
Grid Telecom is a subsidiary of Independent Power Transmission Operator, and leverages optical fibre deployed alongside national electricity transmission infrastructure. The operator says this integrated approach enables it to offer carrier-neutral, open-access connectivity to domestic and international operators, as well as to data centres in Crete and mainland Greece.