Greece’s Grid Telecom Plans Artemis Subsea Cable to Crete

By Dan Swinhoe, Data Center Dynamics
February 4, 2026

Greek telco Grid Telecom is planning a new subsea cable connecting the mainland to the island of Crete.

Announced this week, the 280km (173.9 miles) Artemis cable will offer 30Tbps per fiber pair. With a “minimum” of 24 fiber pairs planned, the system could offer capacities above 720Tbps and potentially reach 1Pbps.

Timelines for development weren't shared.

Grid Telecom is proceeding with the immediate construction of new cable landing stations in Chania on the west side of Crete and Attica, the area on the Greek mainland encompassing Athens.

Crete is the landing point for a dozen live and planned subsea cables across six landing points. Several, including the EMC West-1, Minoas East and West, Medusa, and the Apollo East and West systems, connect to the Greek mainland.

Founded in January 2019, Greek telco Grid Telecom’s network includes more than 6,000km (3,728 miles) of fiber terrestrial and subsea cables across Greece. The firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) of Greece. Much of Grid's terrestrial fiber is overhead Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) cables deployed on IPTO’s power grid transmission towers.

Grid currently operates the Apollo East and West systems, launched last year, and landing outside Heraklion in Korakia in Crete and outside Megara in Pachi on the mainland. It also operates the Minoas East and West Systems, linking Nopigia outside Chania in Crete to Neapoli Voion on the mainland.

Vodafone unveiled its own cable linking Crete to the Greek mainland last month. The Thetis Express will offer 180Tbps.

Grid Telecom announced plans to build a subsea system connecting Israel and Greece in 2023 in a deal with Tamares Telecom, and has partnered with Saudi Electricity-owned Dawiyat Integrated for a cable to Saudi Arabia.

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