Grid Telecom to build Artemis subsea cable connecting Crete to mainland Greece

Posted by Total Telecom Staff : Press Release, Grid Telecom, a wholesale telecommunications provider and subsidiary of IPTO, has announced the construction of ARTEMIS, an ultra-high-capacity subsea optical fiber cable system that will link Crete with mainland Greece.

As a new strategic digital corridor in the Eastern Mediterranean, ARTEMIS is set to strengthen decisively regional connectivity, enhance Greece’s geopolitical footprint, and accelerate the country’s ongoing digital transformation.

The ARTEMIS system will be equipped with subsea repeaters and will span approximately 280 kilometres, including its terrestrial segments linking the cable landing stations. Ιt will interconnect all landing stations and data centers in Crete and Attica region, enabling data transmission rates of up to 30 Tbps per fiber-pair. With a minimum of 24 fiber-pairs, ARTEMIS will deliver an overall design capacity of at least 720 Tbps, more than meeting all medium‑ and long‑term digital infrastructure needs.

Engineered to support the next generation of cutting‑edge technologies, ARTEMIS will take full advantage of the relatively short transmission distance and the capability to expand the optical spectrum. As a result, the system is poised to become the first petabit-class subsea cable in Greece and the Mediterranean, with a potential total capacity exceeding 1 petabit per second, pushing well beyond the performance limits of today’s subsea optical fiber systems, setting a new benchmark for regional and international digital connectivity.

Grid Telecom continues to invest in state‑of‑the‑art infrastructure with the goal of transforming Crete into a strategic digital hub, delivering network reliability, flexibility and diversity. Grid Telecom will leverage the synergies between the new ARTEMIS system and its existing Minoas East‑West and Apollo East‑West systems, which already connect the island to mainland Greece through four independent routes and a total of 96 fiber-pairs. The Minoas East‑West system links Chania to the Peloponnese, providing a low‑latency alternative route, while the Apollo East‑West system provides a direct connection between Heraklion and Attica, with no intermediate cable landing stations, adding another critical alternative path.

In line with its commitment to advancing next‑generation telecommunications services, Grid Telecom is proceeding with the immediate construction of new cable landing stations in Chania and Attica. These facilities will serve both as landing points for the ARTEMIS cable system and as critical gateways for international subsea fiber cables traversing the Eastern Mediterranean, linking Greece with the Middle East and Western Europe. ARTEMIS will incorporate Open Cable Interface Equipment (OCIE), enabling seamless integration with all international cable systems, eliminating the need for additional transmission terminal equipment and providing direct, cost‑efficient backhaul access to all data centers.

With these infrastructures in place, Grid Telecom as the premier neutral provider of wholesale telecom services in Greece, will deliver secure, open‑access landings and highly resilient connectivity through diversified fiber routes to both existing and emerging data centers in Crete, mainland Greece, and neighbouring countries. By fully leveraging its integrated terrestrial and subsea network assets, the company will ensure robust, scalable, and carrier‑grade connectivity across the region and provide comprehensive technical support and maintenance services at both infrastructure and operational levels.Keep up to date with all the latest telecoms news with the Total Telecom newsletter Grid Telecom to build Artemis subsea cable connecting Crete to mainland Greece

Read More........ → February 12, 2026

Romania Hits 94% Recycling After Launching Largest Return Plan in the World

A recycling depot operated by RetuRO, Romania’s plastic return system organizer – credit Eduard Voicu / RetuRO

If you had to guess where in the EU you would find the most sophisticated and effective recycling system for beverage containers, how long before you’d say Romania?

Beating out Scandinavia, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, the Romanian government’s private-public partnership with the logistics firm RetuRO, has led to an incredible 94% collection rate of plastic, glass, and metal containers in just two years.

The method is simple, but a RetuRO executive said that its secret to success comes from the fact that there was no existing recycling system already working that had to be overwritten: it was a fresh idea.

Fresh, but not new. Each retailer that sells products which come in recyclable containers are given a tax credit for the cost of installing return infrastructure like reverse vending machines and other installations. Then, the customer, when they buy each item, are charged a deposit that is returned with a few cents extra when they return the items.

With all the extras, one Transylvanian woman was able to buy food for her cats for the whole week.

“We are the largest fully integrated deposit return system globally,” said Gemma Webb, the chief executive of RetuRO, the company running the system in a public-private partnership.

Even though product return rates are as high as 94% in some months, those products as a proportion of the country’s total recyclable waste remains small; less than 15%. As far as that is from seeing the recyclability of all waste, it’s still awfully far from where the country has come.

Between 2011 and 2021, recycling rates for plastic, glass, and metal beverage containers hovered around 11-12%, and rarely changed. Only 1% of all materials recycled or thrown away eventually made it back into the economy, according to the Guardian.

Romanians returned some seven-and-a-half billion beverage containers between November 2023 and the end of September 2025, 4 billion of which were polyethylene terephthalate, the ubiquitous “PET” plastic that permeates world society. One study found that 90% of surveyed Romanians had used the system at least once.The Guardian reported that the plastic contained in a single PET plastic beverage container can produce 25 more over the materials lifespan if properly recycled. Romania Hits 94% Recycling After Launching Largest Return Plan in the World

Read More........ → January 06, 2026

FIFA WC qualifiers: Ronaldo sets another record but Hungary deny Portugal early qualification

Credit: FIFA

Lisbon, (IANS) Cristiano Ronaldo set another record but Portugal conceded a last-gasp equaliser against Hungary to keep their dreams of direct qualification for the FIFA World Cup on hold.

Ronaldo became the outright leading marksman in World Cup qualifying history. His two goals – the first his 40th in qualifying to set the landmark – put Portugal on the verge of qualification but Dominik Szoboszlai struck late to deny Portugal qualification for a seventh successive global finals after a 2-2 draw.

Attila Szalai silenced Lisbon by heading home the opener, but the 40-year-old tapped in crosses from full-backs Nelson Semedo and Nuno Mendes to swing Roberto Martinez’s charges ahead. The woodwork denied Bruno Fernandes and Ruben Dias enhancing the lead and Szalai equalising after the restart.

Hungary kept themselves five points behind Portugal, and in with a chance of the section’s automatic ticket, when Daniel Lukacs did majestically to set up Dominik Szoboszlai.

Portugal’s next chance to confirm their place in the World Cup finals tournament next year will be against Republic of Ireland in Dublin next month.

Republic of Ireland claimed their first win in World Cup qualifying after edging out 10-man Armenia at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Visiting captain Tigran Barseghyan was given his marching orders in the 52nd minute of this contest before Evan Ferguson combined with Will Smallbone to score the only goal of a cagey encounter.

Meanwhile, Cote d'Ivoire have qualified for the FIFA World Cup 26. The Elephants secured their place at the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the USA on Tuesday, with a 3-0 victory over Kenya in their final Group F fixture ensuring they topped the section ahead of Gabon.They will compete in the World Cup for the first time since Brazil 2014, where they were eliminated in the group stage, as they have been in each of their appearances to date. FIFA WC qualifiers: Ronaldo sets another record but Hungary deny Portugal early qualification | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Read More........ → October 15, 2025