The 2Africa cable will connect over three billion people across Africa, Europe and Asia. (Image supplied by Meta)
Meta has announced the completion of the core 2Africa subsea cable infrastructure, which it bills as the world’s longest open access subsea cable system.
In a blog post published this week, the technology giant says the completion of the 2Africa cable is a “defining moment” for Africa’s digital future.
Meta led the design, funding and deployment of the subsea cable system. It says it is building the infrastructure that will drive economic growth and connect over three billion people across Africa, Europe and Asia – more than 30% of the world’s population.
2Africa is a Meta-backed project built by the 2Africa consortium, which comprises China Mobile International, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone/Vodacom and the West Indian Ocean Cable Company.
The project, which has taken nearly six years to build, is constructed and deployed by Alcatel Submarine Networks.
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“Building 2Africa required us to push the boundaries of what’s possible in subsea infrastructure,” says Gaya Nagarajan, VP of network engineering at Meta, in the blog post.
“We deployed advanced spatial division multiplexing technology, supporting up to 16 fibre pairs per cable. This is double the capacity of older systems. We incorporated undersea optical wavelength switching, enabling flexible bandwidth management and supporting evolving demands for artificial intelligence, cloud and high-bandwidth applications.”
At 45 000km long, 2Africa is one of the largest undersea cable systems. It interconnects Europe (eastward via Egypt), the Middle East (via Saudi Arabia), landing in 46 global locations and 21 landings in 16 countries in Africa. The project is expected to deliver more than the total combined capacity of all subsea cables serving Africa today, with a design capacity of up to 180Tbps on key parts of the system.
“Over the course of construction, we deployed 35 offshore vessels, amounting to nearly 32 years of vessel operations, while dedicated shore-end operations required even more inshore vessels, locally mobilised for cable pulling, guarding, security and dive support. In remote locations, we imported and mobilised specialist equipment, such as dive decompression chambers and shore-end burial tooling to locally operated vessels,” adds Nagarajan.
According to an RTI International study, 2Africa has the potential to provide an economic effect of up to $36.9 billion, or 0.58%, of Africa’s GDP, within two to three years of its commissioning.
“The cable’s arrival will boost job creation, entrepreneurship and innovation hubs in connected regions. Evidence from previous cable landings shows that fast internet access increases employment rates, improves productivity and supports shifts toward higher-skill occupations,” notes Alex-Handrah Aimé, global head of network investments at Meta.
“Meta’s vision is to empower African entrepreneurs, creators and businesses to innovate and collaborate. By partnering with policymakers, regulators and stakeholders, we advance Africa’s digital transformation and support its position as an emerging major player in the global digital economy.”
In August 2023, the East African portion of the 2Africa subsea cable landed in Mozambique and Tanzania, resulting in the establishment of a new data centre in the city of Nacala-Porto by Master Power Technologies.
In December 2022, the cable landed in Yzerfontein and Duynefontein, Western Cape, and in January 2023, it landed in Eastern Cape, Gqeberha. In February 2023, it landed in Amanzimtoti, KwaZulu-Natal.
Mazen Mroué, CEO of MTN Group Digital Infrastructure, says the cable’s delivery reflects years of close collaboration, technical innovation and a shared vision among 2Africa consortium partners to connect communities, drive economic growth and enable transformative digital experiences across Africa and beyond.
“For MTN, 2Africa isn’t just a cable but rather a statement of intent of what can be achieved when the world’s technology leaders and Africa’s own champions come together with purpose.
“This project stands as proof that global scale and African leadership can combine to build the infrastructure that will define the next chapter of Africa’s growth story. Yes, together we’re connecting Africa to the world, but above all, we’re connecting Africa to its potential,” says Mroué.
