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Improved connectivity for internet users as Airtel activates 2Africa cable linking Kenya & South Africa

A stock photo of mobile phone users. (Photo: Courtesy)

By Terry Muriuki | Monday, June 17, 2024

2Africa is one of the world's largest subsea cable networks, stretching over 45,000 kilometres and linking Europe, Africa, and parts of South Asia.

Airtel's recent launch of the 2Africa submarine cable, a massive subsea fibre-optic project connecting South Africa to Kenya, is set to transform Africa's digital landscape, providing unprecedented connectivity and growth opportunities as the tech company aims to deliver innovative solutions to meet its customers' evolving needs.

Internet users will soon enjoy Airtel's improved internet connectivity and fast speeds, as 2Africa is one of the world's largest subsea cable networks, stretching over 45,000 kilometres and linking Europe, Africa, and parts of South Asia.

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"The activation of the 2Africa submarine cable is a monumental step in our mission to bridge the digital divide in Africa. Airtel is proud to launch the first phase of 2Africa," said Prasanta Das Sarma, CEO of Airtel Telesonic.

"This project highlights our commitment to advanced infrastructure and empowering communities in the digital age," he further stated.

Airtel Africa partnered with Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) to achieve the milestone. ASN, a key player in optical submarine networks, provided the latest SLTE platform, PSI-SUB, known for its modular and future-proof architecture.

Meanwhile, 2Africa connects Europe with Africa (eastward via Egypt), large parts of South Asia, and 21 landings in 16 countries in Africa, underpinning the further growth of 4G, 5G, and fixed broadband access for hundreds of millions of people.

The 2Africa cable system is one of the largest subsea projects globally, designed to interconnect Africa, Europe, and Asia. (Photo: Courtesy)

China Mobile International, Meta, MTN GlobalConnect, Telecom Egypt, Orange, WIOCC, Stc, and Vodafone are the giants that partnered to build 2Africa.

Via their websites, 2Africa believes that the submarine cable project will benefit businesses and consumers by providing enhanced capacity and reliability for services such as telecommuting, HD TV broadcasting, internet services, video conferencing, advanced multimedia, and mobile video applications.

"The project will also underpin future mobile and fixed broadband access. This will help African leaders implement their 2030 visions and meet many of the Sustainable Development Goals challenges related to or depending on internet connectivity."

2Africa and Airtel also signed an agreement with Telkom Egypt to provide a completely new crossing link between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, entailing the new cable landing stations and the deployment of next-generation fibre on two new, diverse terrestrial routes parallel to the Suez Canal from Ras Ghareb to Port Said, and a new subsea link that will provide a third path between Ras Ghareb and Suez.