At 45,000km, the project is the longest subsea cable ever deployed, serving communities that rely on the internet throughout all three continents.
Meta and Telecom Egypt have announced the first landing of the 2Africa subsea cable in Egypt at Ras Ghareb in the Red Sea, as part of the 2Africa consortium.
The cable is a project led by a consortium comprised of China Mobile International, Meta, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, STC, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone and WIOCC.
It is the worlds largest subsea cable project to date and will connect 33 countries and the continents of Africa, Europe and Asia, once live in 2023.
The Ras Ghareb landing is one of several taking place in the coming months and will be extended to a total of 46 locations across Africa, Europe and Asia by the completion of the project in 2024.
Commenting on the development, Adel Hamed, Telecom Egypts Managing Director and CEO, said: We recently celebrated the landing of our Red2Med cable system in Ras Ghareb, and today we are excited to announce the first landing of 2Africa in the same location. The second landing in Egypt will be in Port Said in a few months.
Fares Akkad, Regional Director, Middle East and North Africa, Meta, added: Connecting people is the very core of Metas priorities, and access to faster internet is no longer a luxury but an absolute necessity, as crystalised by the Covid-19 crisis. The internet was integral to keeping our daily lives running in some semblance of routine. In times of trouble, it is a tool for survival, while during better times, it is essential to help economies across the world thrive and raise the standards of living for large segments of society. Investing in submarine cables brings more people online to faster internet, and 2Africa is a perfect example of our innovative partnership model where everyone benefits through the development of technology infrastructure to lead the industry in routes, capacity, and flexibility.
At 45,000km, it will be the longest subsea cable ever deployed, serving communities that rely on the internet for services from education to healthcare and business, with all experiencing the economic and social benefits that come from this increased connectivity.
