Capacity Eurasia - Building the Digital Silk Road

Exciting Developments on the Digital Silk Road! During a recent panel discussion at Capacity Eurasia, RETN’s MD of Ukraine and the Black Sea region – Olena Lutsenko emphasised the crucial importance of establishing new redundant fiber routes between Asia and Europe. As the digital landscape evolves, robust and resilient connectivity becomes ever more essential.

A key highlight of the discussion was AzerTelecom's Ana Nakashidze announcement of a new Caspian cable project between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, a new Digital Silk Road, further enhancing connectivity between Europe and Asia.

Moderator Ljubica Draskic sparked a lively debate, especially regarding end-points for traffic concentration in Europe. Everyone knows that Marseille is a main landing point for most sub-sea cables between EU – Asia, and the panellists shared different points of view. It was agreed that traffic is increasingly localised to be closer to users, though businesses remain highly sensitive to stable and protected connections to Cloud platforms. Currently, major traffic exchange hubs include Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and London, however, Central and Eastern cities like "Sofia, Warsaw, and Budapest are emerging as new magnet hubs", according to Olena.

RETN as a high-quality backbone operator with its own redundant optical network in the Balkans and Central/Eastern Europe can provide services with optimal RTT, near 100% SLA, and a few days rapid delivery. This significant development underscores the critical role of the Balkans and Turkey in bridging not only Europe and the Middle East but also facilitating broader intercontinental connectivity.

While the advancements are promising, several challenges remain. Monetising large-scale investment projects during periods of geopolitical tension and economic uncertainty presents notable difficulties.

Nevertheless, Telecommunications are fundamental to modern life, and the deployment of new cables is pivotal for economic resilience. Enhanced redundancy ensures uninterrupted data exchange across the globe, and lower latency paves the way for stronger connections and growth opportunities for local businesses.

As we navigate these turbulent times, the ongoing efforts to bolster our digital infrastructure will undoubtedly play a key role in shaping a more connected and resilient future.