Oman Telecommucations Company (Omantel) has announced the landing of the Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1) submarine cable system in Oman, reported local media.

The third longest submarine cable in the world spanning about 25,000 km, the AAE-1 is one of the first unique cable systems to connect 18 countries across Asia, Africa and Europe, all via Oman, said the Times of Oman report.

The cable will provide an alternative and low latency short route between the east and the west while covering 50 per cent of the world’s population, it added.

“Already over half of the international submarine cables that connect to the Arabian Gulf are connected through Omantel here in Oman. In the coming years, further extending our reach internationally is a key focus for Omantel, and a central goal of our 3.0 transformation strategy,” Omantel CEO Talal Al Mamari was quoted as saying in the report.

Omantel’s international network will provide additional protection and diversity to the AAE-1 cable system through other systems like EPEG, another major high-capacity system, the report said.

The cable will provide additional capacity and diversity for telecommunications capabilities in Oman, according to the report.