On February 16, 2026, an Iraqi-Emirati consortium announced plans for a $700 million subsea and terrestrial data cable project named WorldLink, which aims to connect the United Arab Emirates to Turkey via Iraq. This announcement comes just over a week after Saudi Arabia and Syria revealed their own fiber-optic project, SilkLink, which is part of a $1 billion initiative to rehabilitate Syria's infrastructure and enhance its role as a data route between Asia and Europe. Ali El Ekabi, head of Iraq's Tech 964 and one of the consortium members, stated, "The project would be privately funded and rolled out in phases over the next five years," targeting improvements in data transit times and congestion reduction compared to traditional routes through the Suez Canal. The WorldLink cable will stretch from Fujairah in the UAE to Iraq's Faw peninsula and then overland to the Turkish border, aiming to attract investment from hyperscalers and international carriers, as well as support AI applications.