Africa-1
| Cable type | Submarine Fibre-optic |
|---|---|
| Construction beginning | 3 February 2021 |
| Design capacity | 96 Tbit/s (12 Tbit/s per fiber pair) |
| Built by | Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks (ASN) |
| Area served | Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Europe |
Africa-1 is a 10,000 km long international submarine telecommunications cable system from France to the Middle East, through Africa.
The cable system, consisting of 8 fiber pairs, has a design capacity of 96 Tbit/s and will be constructed by Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks (ASN),[1] utilizing their Alcatel 1620 Softnode transmission equipment to allow optical transmission rates between 100 and 400 Gbit/s per line card.[2]
A consortium of members signed an agreement in December 2018 for construction and maintenance of the cable.[3] It is expected to become fully operational in 2025.[4]
Cable ownership
Africa-1 is owned by a consortium of the following members, with more members expected to join as the cable extends to new destinations in Africa.
Landing points and operators
Africa-1 lands in France, Kenya, Egypt, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Somaliland. The next phase of the cable will include landings in Italy, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan, as well as Yemen, Somalia, Tanzania and Mozambique.[5]
| Location | Operator & Technical Partner |
|---|---|
| Marseille, France | Orange S.A[6] |
| Port Said, Egypt | Telecom Egypt |
| Ras Ghareb, Egypt | Telecom Egypt[4] |
| Duba, Saudi Arabia | Mobily[7] |
| Mokha, Yemen | TeleYemen |
| Djibouti City, Djibouti | Djibouti Telecom |
| Kalba, UAE | Etisalat by e& |
| Karachi, Pakistan | Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited[8] |
| Berbera, Somaliland | SomCable |
| Mombasa, Kenya | Airtel Africa[4] |
References
- ^ Bannerman, Natalie (2021-02-03). "ASN starts construction on Africa-1 subsea cable". Capacity Media. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ "Alcatel-Lucent 1620 SOFTNODE for submarine networks offers high density, small footprint". Lightwave. 2015-05-11. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Bannerman, Natalie (2019-01-04). "Africa-1 consortium sign C&MA for new cable system". Capacity Media. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ a b c Yadav, Niva (2024-11-10). "Telecom Egypt and ASN land Africa-1 cable in Ras Ghareb, Egypt". Data Center Dynamics. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ "ASN Starts the Construction of Africa-1 - Submarine Networks". www.submarinenetworks.com. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Swinhoe, Dan (2022-12-14). "Medusa cable system to land at Orange cable landing station in Marseille, France". Data Center Dynamics. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Yadav, Niva (2025-02-06). "Mobily lands Africa-1 subsea cable in Duba, Saudi Arabia". Data Center Dynamics. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
- ^ "Africa-1 submarine cable reaches Pakistan". Brecorder. 2025-02-22. Retrieved 2025-02-22.