Meta Completes 2Africa: World’s Longest Subsea Cable Promises Transformative Connectivity for Billions
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The completion of the 2Africa subsea cable system marks a pivotal moment in global internet infrastructure, promising to dramatically expand access and bandwidth for over three billion people across Africa, Europe, and Asia. The 45,000-kilometer cable, initially launched in May 2022, represents one of the largest subsea cable projects ever undertaken and sets a new standard for international connectivity.
A Collaborative Effort to Bridge the Digital Divide
The 2Africa project is the result of a collaborative effort lead by Meta, alongside a consortium of global partners including Bayobab, Center3, CMI, orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group, and WIOCC. According to a company release, the shared goal was to create an “open, inclusive network that fosters competition, supports innovation and unlocks new opportunities for millions.” This open-access model is designed to allow multiple service providers to utilize the infrastructure, accelerating digital transformation and the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) throughout the region.
Expanding Reach and Capacity
Recent collaborations with Bharti Airtel and MainOne (an Equinix Company) have further expanded the cable’s impact through datacentre integration. The deployment,spanning 50 jurisdictions and nearly six years,required close collaboration with regulators and policymakers to navigate complex requirements.2Africa is the frist cable to directly connect East and West Africa in a continuous system, also linking Africa to the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe. Currently reaching 33 countries – with ongoing expansion – the network is engineered to provide connectivity for a significant portion of the global population.
The cable boasts a design capacity of up to 180Tbps on key segments, supplementing existing capacity in the Middle East and supporting the growth of 4G, 5G, and fixed broadband access.It will make 21 landings in 16 African countries,interconnecting Europe via Egypt and the Middle east via Saudi Arabia.
Technological Innovation Under the Sea
2Africa delivers a significant leap in international bandwidth for Africa, exceeding the capabilities of previous systems. The West segment, stretching from England to South Africa with landings in Senegal, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, nigeria, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, DRC, and Angola, supports 21 terabits per second (Tbps) per fibre pair, utilizing eight fibre pairs on the trunk.
To achieve this throughput, the cable employs advanced spatial division multiplexing (SDM) technology, supporting up to 16 fibre pairs per cable – double the capacity of older systems. One analyst noted that this represents the first 16-fibre-pair subsea cable to fully connect africa. The system also incorporates undersea optical wavelength switching, enabling flexible bandwidth management to meet the evolving demands of AI, cloud computing, and high-bandwidth applications.
Furthermore, 2Africa features two self-reliant trunk powering architectures across its West, East, and Mediterranean segments, optimizing capacity and enhancing resilience against electrical faults. Meta’s branching unit switching capability allows for optimized trunk capacity and reliability by routing cables further offshore, avoiding hazards like the Congo Canyon turbidity currents while still serving West African nations. The consortium also engineered compatible crossing solutions for over 60 oil and gas pipelines to ensure the cable’s integrity and reach.
Economic Impact and Future Growth
Meta anticipates that 2Africa could contribute up to $36.9 billion to africa’s GDP within the first two to three years of operation. The company is confident that the increased connectivity will stimulate job creation,entrepreneurship,and the growth of innovation hubs in connected regions. evidence from previous cable landings demonstrates that faster internet access correlates with increased employment rates, improved productivity, and a shift towards higher-skill occupations.
