Telecom Egypt, Egypt’s leading telecom provider and a key subsea cable operator, along with Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), has successfully landed the Africa-1 subsea cable system at the Ras Ghareb station on the Red Sea coast. This is the first of two planned Egypt landings, with the second set for the Mediterranean coast. The Africa-1 cable system, constructed by ASN, connects East Africa with the Middle East, South-Central Asia, and Europe.
Spanning over 10,000 kilometers with 8 fiber pairs, this high-capacity, low-latency system travels through Egypt on diverse terrestrial paths, extending from Pakistan to France. The Ras Ghareb landing marks the third installation point, following Karachi, Pakistan, and Mombasa, Kenya. Initial landings have also been made in the UAE, Kenya, Djibouti, Yemen, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria.
Africa-1, funded by a consortium of eight major telecom entities—Algerie Telecom, e&, G42, Mobily, Pakistan Telecommunications Company Ltd., Telecom Egypt, TeleYemen, and ZOI—is designed to strengthen global connectivity by enhancing broadband capacity, resilience, and route diversity. This transformative system aims to support rising demand for reliable, high-speed communications across growing markets in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, especially for bandwidth-intensive applications such as AI.
“Africa-1 elevates Egypt as a regional connectivity hub, helping bridge the digital divide in underserved regions,” stated Mohamed Nasr, Managing Director and CEO of Telecom Egypt. “Our extensive subsea infrastructure underscores our commitment to delivering superior connectivity solutions, enabling our partners and end-users to drive economic growth and foster innovation globally.”
Paul Gabla, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at ASN, added, “We are thrilled to contribute to Africa-1, which will transform connectivity across East Africa, the Middle East, South-Central Asia, and Europe. ASN is dedicated to ensuring the seamless deployment and operation of this high-capacity, low-latency infrastructure, meeting the global data demands with the highest standards of diversity and resiliency.”
With the Africa-1 system, Telecom Egypt and ASN are set to launch a new era of connectivity that enhances broadband capabilities and expands subsea networks to meet the growing need for seamless global communications. The project solidifies Egypt’s role as a central connectivity hub, supporting the global economy and fostering robust digital infrastructure for the future.
