The state of Syria's digital infrastructure

Where the sector stands

• Mobile subscribers

  6.3million subscribers ✓ Sourced
  How is this calculated?

  No data

  Subscriber base on the MTN Syria network being transferred to Zain Syria. Baseline at Dec 2024 and a target still need sourcing.

  Sources

  SANA / Zain Group · 30 June 2026

  Confidence: Official · Last updated: 11 August 2026

  Methodology & sources

• Backbone fibre planned

  4,500km ✓ Sourced
  How is this calculated?

  No data

  Planned, not built. The paired built-km indicator is the one that measures anything.

  Sources

  Saudi Press Agency · 7 February 2026

  Confidence: Official · Last updated: 11 August 2026

  Methodology & sources

• Licensed mobile operators

  2operators ✓ Sourced
  How is this calculated?

  No data

  Two licensed, one operating: Syriatel operates, Zain Syria is licensed but has not launched, and MTN Syria's licence is being replaced. A count of licences is a weak proxy for contestability — replace with a market-share or tariff-dispersion measure when one is sourceable.

  Sources

  SANA — Syrian Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority · 5 July 2026

  Confidence: Official · Last updated: 11 August 2026

  Methodology & sources

63 of 73 fields on this vertical carry a source (86%). The rest are published as “No data” rather than filled with an estimate.

All indicators

Latest developments

1. 5 July 2026Regulation

   Regulator: Zain to launch within six months

   Regulator director general Khaled al-Homsi sets out the licence terms and the transition window.

   Zain Syria network buildSyrian Telecommunications and Post Regulatory AuthorityZain Syria

   SANA, quoting Syrian Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority director general Khaled al-Homsi ✓ Sourced

2. 30 June 2026Regulation

   Zain awarded the national mobile licence

   A 20-year renewable licence for USD 747m, with investment of more than USD 800m over ten years and a six-month transition preserving service for 6.3 million subscribers.

   Zain Syria network buildZain SyriaZain GroupMTN SyriaSyrian Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority

   Zain Group press release ✓ Sourced

3. 3 March 2026Regulation

   International tender launched to replace the MTN licence

   Announced at MWC Barcelona, with completion scheduled for 15 June 2026.

   Zain Syria network buildMinistry of Communications and Information TechnologySyrian Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority

   SANA ✓ Sourced

4. 7 February 2026Investment

   SilkLink implementation agreement signed with stc Group

   A joint venture 75% stc Group and 25% Syrian Sovereign Fund, to build more than 4,500 km of fibre and a submarine cable landing station at Tartus.

   SilkLink — national fibre backboneSilkLinkstc GroupSyrian Sovereign Fund

   Saudi Press Agency ✓ Sourced

5. 7 February 2026Investment

   Five Saudi–Syrian agreements worth more than USD 5.3bn, SilkLink among them

   SilkLink was signed inside a package spanning aviation, telecoms, infrastructure and water desalination. This is the frame the sector's financing sits in: telecom is a line in a larger package, not a standalone deal.

   SilkLink — national fibre backbonestc GroupSyrian Sovereign Fund

   Saudi Press Agency ✓ Sourced

Latest

The index, domain by domain

No composite score is published. Below 60% of index weight sourced to official data or independent measurement, there is no number here worth printing — so the bars show how much of each domain is actually sourced instead.

• Coverage 1 of 3

  Who can reach a network at all — the precondition for every other domain.

• Network quality 0 of 3

  Whether the connection works when it is needed. The domain most open to independent measurement, and so the likeliest route to opening the gate.

• Infrastructure 2 of 5

  Backbone, fibre and data centres actually in the ground — not announced.

• Competition 1 of 1

  How many operators can actually contest the market, and on what terms.

• Affordability 0 of 1

  What connectivity costs against what a household earns.

• International connectivity 0 of 1

  Capacity and redundancy out of the country — a single-path network is one cut from dark.

• Digital readiness 0 of 1

  What the network is used for once it exists: services, payments, government online.

Sector segments

• Mobile 1
• Fixed broadband 1
• Fibre 1
• 5G 1
• International connectivity 0
• Data centres 0
• Spectrum 0

What is being built

• 2 Contracted
• 1 Announced
• 1 Underway

All projects

Where the gaps are

All gaps

Who is involved

• Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
• Syrian Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority
• Syrian Telecommunications Establishment
• Syriatel
• MTN Syria
• Zain Syria
• Zain Group
• stc Group
• Syrian Sovereign Fund
• SilkLink

All companies