China Mobile backs cable for Africa, Middle East

Some of the biggest names in telecommunications have joined social network Facebook in getting behind a subsea cable that they say will greatly enhance connectivity across Africa and the Middle East.

The telecoms operators－China Mobile International, MTN Global Connect, Orange, stc, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone and WIOCC－and Facebook have appointed Alcatel Submarine Networks to build the link, known as 2Africa.

At 37,000 kilometers, it will be one of the world's longest subsea cable projects and will connect Africa with Europe, via Egypt, and with the Middle East, via Saudi Arabia. It will have 21 so-called landings in 16 countries in Africa.

The project is expected to go live in 2023 or 2024, delivering more than the total combined capacity of all subsea cables serving Africa today, with a design capacity of up to 180 terabytes per second on parts of the system.

Its backers say the link will deliver much-needed internet capacity and reliability across large parts of Africa, supplement the fast-growing capacity demand in the Middle East and underpin the further growth of 4G, 5G and fixed broadband access for hundreds of millions of people.

In countries where the cable will land, service providers will obtain capacity in carrier-neutral data centers or open-access cable landing stations on a fair and equitable basis. This will support the development of a healthy internet ecosystem by facilitating greatly improved accessibility for businesses and consumers alike, the companies say.

"The launch of 2Africa enables us to offer our customers seamless connection between Africa and Europe, together with our SEAME-WE 5 and AAE-1 subsea cable resources to further extend to Asia, which is an important milestone of our global development strategy," said Jessica Gu, director and chief technology officer of China Mobile International.

"The utmost capacity and faster transmission allows us to satisfy the needs of African nations today and in the future, reflecting our firm commitment to building a global digital life."

Najam Ahmad, vice-president of network infrastructure at Facebook, said 2Africa is a major element of the company's ongoing investment in Africa to bring more people online to a faster internet.

"We've seen first-hand the positive impact of increased connectivity on communities, from education to healthcare," Ahmad said.

"We know that economies flourish when there is widely accessible internet for businesses. 2Africa is a key pillar supporting this tremendous internet expansion as part of Africa's surging digital economy."

The 2Africa parties and Airtel have signed an agreement with Telecom Egypt to provide a new crossing linking the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, the first in over a decade. This includes cable landing stations and deployment of next-generation fiber on two diverse land routes parallel to the Suez Canal from Ras Ghareb to Port Said.