Yeroskipos

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CYTA Yeroskipos – Yeroskipos Submarine Cable Station is the land station of the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CYTA) for the SEA-ME-WE 3 and other submarine cables in Geroskipou. South-East Asia – Middle East – Western Europe 3 connects Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. On the Submarine Cable Station Yeroskipos run in addition to the SEA-ME-WE 3 also other submarine cables.

Background and location
The SEA-ME-WE 3 was put into operation on 30 August 1999. With a total length of 39,000 km, it is the largest submarine cable system in the world. To increase capacity and improve signal quality, Wavelength Division Multiplexing is used.

Geroskipou is located on the southern tip of Cyprus and is therefore suitable as a location for incoming fiber optic cables. CYTA connects the Cypriot and Northern Cypriot Internet networks with SEA-ME-WE 3 and other submarine cables. This includes the CYTA-owned ATHENA system.

The Poseidon system for the gas and oil offshore industry, which runs annularly around Cyprus, also has its land connection in Yeroskipos.

Intelligence intelligence services
The British secret service GCHQ monitors from the Yeroskipos Submarine Cable Station the global communications traffic via SEA-ME-WE 3 and possibly other submarine cables. These activities are supported by the state telephone provider Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CYTA), as it is obliged by law to cooperate with the British services (and thus de facto with the Americans). In addition to communications to Israel and Syria, there are also connections to Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece and Italy via Cyprus.

In 1960, when Cyprus gained independence, Great Britain was assured extensive rights in telecommunications intelligence. In Section 6 of the Treaty of Independence, the then-young state pledged to “consult and cooperate” with Britain when it comes to issues of domestic communication.

Weblinks
Information about Cyta’s Undersea Cable Hub in the Eastern Mediterranean (PDF; 2.5 MB) on the company homepage Cyta global

Individual evidence

Intelligence Station in Cyprus
UKUSA network
Geroskipou
Organisation (Republic of Cyprus)