Meta has completed the core infrastructure of 2Africa, now the world’s longest open-access subsea cable system, spanning 45,000 km and linking Europe, the Middle East, and 16 African countries, with landings in 46 global locations. The cable is backed by a consortium including MTN GlobalConnect, Vodacom/Vodafone, Orange, and China Mobile International.
The system is expected to provide more capacity than all existing subsea cables serving Africa combined, delivering up to 180Tbps on major routes. Advanced technologies, such as spatial division multiplexing and undersea wavelength switching, were deployed to maximise capacity and flexibility.
Economically, 2Africa is projected to add up to $36.9 billion to Africa’s GDP within two to three years of operation, improving connectivity, job creation, and productivity, while enabling startups and businesses across the continent to scale effectively.
