The 2Africa consortium, comprised of China Mobile International, Meta, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, stc, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone, and WIOCC, on Thursday announced the first landing of the 2Africa cable in Genoa, Italy.
"The landing sets the tone for more landings in the coming months as the cable is extended to a total of 46 locations by the completion of the project in 2024," the consortium said.
Announced in May 2020, the 2Africa subsea cable system together with its Pearls extension is designed to deliver international connectivity to approximately 3 billion people, representing 36% of the global population and connecting three continents, Africa, Europe, and Asia.
According to the consortium, 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."
Vodafone, the 2Africa landing party in Genoa, has partnered with Equinix to land the cable directly into the Equinix Carrier Neutral Data Center (CNDC), with Retelit delivering the fronthaul.
"As with all 2Africa cable landings, capacity will be available to service providers in Genoa on a fair and equitable basis, encouraging and supporting the development of a healthy internet ecosystem," 2Africa consortium said.
"Working with a local Italian operator, 2Africa has also developed a new terrestrial route connecting the Genoa cable landing station (CLS) directly to major CNDCs in Milan. Good progress on the survey work and manufacturing continues with the 2Africa project remaining on track for completion in 2024," the company said.