14 February 2022

Broadband connectivity provider AFR-IX telecom is preparing for the deployment of a new submarine fibre optic system, dubbed Medusa, which will link western and southern European countries to north Africa.

An application for authorisation has been submitted in Portugal, which will host one of the two ends of the telecom infrastructure. AFR-IX telecom is awaiting approval from the relevant authorities.

The project, which has an estimated cost of nearly €326m and is partially financed by the European Investment Bank with €163m, involves a system 8,700 km long, consisting of 24 pairs of fibres with a capacity of 20 terabits each.

This means a total capacity of 480 terabits for the telecom infrastructure, which will connect Lisbon and Sines in Portugal to Port Said in Egypt, with landing points in Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, France, Italy, Cyprus and Greece.

“There is a combination of factors that lead us to invest in this cable: besides the fact that there are some submarine cables in the Mediterranean that are reaching the end of their life cycle (and need alternatives), we know that the telecommunications traffic generated in Africa has been growing at an average of 55% per year,” said Norman Albi, president and chief executive officer, AFR-IX telecom.

The connectivity provider’s investment in Medusa follows the increased demand for high-speed connectivity driven by Covid-19 since 2020.

According to Norman Albi, the new system will feature “state-of-the-art fibre technologies” and will have an “open” cable configuration, “which can be connected to any type of technology or brand.” It will be commissioned in segments, with the west Mediterranean branch (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece) expected to be ready for operation in the third quarter of 2024. The east Mediterranean branch (Tunisia, Greece and Egypt) will be ready in the first quarter of 2025.