ASN STARTS THE CONSTRUCTION OF AFRICA-1, A NEW SUBSEA TELECOM SYSTEM TO CONNECT AFRICA, THE MIDDLE EAST
Further to the supply contract coming into force, the Africa-1 consortium - currently formed of Etisalat, G42, Mobily, Pakistan Telecommunication Company and Telecom Egypt (with other parties expected to join soon) - and Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) have started the implementation of a new telecommunications optical submarine network.
This 10,000 km cable will provide 8 fiber pairs to connect Africa and the Middle East eastward to Pakistan and westward to Europe, increasing the available transmission capacity between Asia and Europe.
The Africa-1 system is expected to be ready for operation by end 2023 and will initially have landings in Kenya, Djibouti, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and France. The system will also land in Sudan, cross Egypt through diverse new terrestrial routes on the way to France, and further connect other countries in the Mediterranean such as Algeria, Tunisia and Italy.
The next phase will include additional landings in Yemen and Somalia, as well as an extension from Kenya to South Africa with intermediate landings in Tanzania and Mozambique.