• Angola Telecom and Telecom Namibia partner on new regional cable project

• SARSSy aims to boost redundancy and handle rising data demand

• More capacity could lower internet costs and expand access

A new submarine cable project is taking shape in Southern Africa. Governments and telecom operators in the region seek to strengthen internet infrastructure in response to rising data demand.

The initiative, led by Angola Telecom, is designed to improve connectivity across the subregion while adding redundancy to existing networks. Known as the Southern African Regional Submarine System (SARSSy), the project was formalized through a memorandum of understanding and a commercial agreement signed on April 23 between Angola Telecom and Telecom Namibia.

Under the agreement, Angola Telecom will gain access to international capacity through Telecom Namibia’s connection to the Equiano submarine cable. The deal also lays the groundwork for deeper cooperation on the development of SARSSy.

Technical details of the new cable have not yet been disclosed. The system is expected to link Angola, Namibia, and other countries along the west coast of Southern Africa. Namibia’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technology said the cable will rely on modern technologies, carry significantly higher data volumes, and operate for about 25 years.

Angola’s telecommunications minister, Mário Augusto da Silva Oliveira, described the project as a long-term investment aimed at connecting infrastructure, integrating markets, and strengthening regional ties. He said it would improve connectivity, enhance communication security, and support the growth of a more competitive and resilient digital economy.

Once operational, SARSSy is expected to reinforce international connectivity along the region’s west coast. Several submarine cables already serve the area, including ACE, 2Africa, WACS, Equiano, SAT-3/WASC, and SACS, according to the Submarine Cable Map.

The most recent systems—Equiano, deployed by Google, and 2Africa, backed by Meta and its partners—offer capacities of 144 terabits per second and 180 terabits per second, respectively. In this context, SARSSy is expected to play a complementary role, strengthening network resilience and redundancy rather than replacing existing capacity.

This comes as demand for high-speed connectivity continues to grow, while existing networks remain vulnerable to disruptions. Congestion, limited capacity, and cable cuts regularly cause service outages across several countries in the region.

Greater capacity could also benefit landlocked countries such as Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, which depend on coastal neighbors for access to international bandwidth. Their connectivity relies on terrestrial fiber networks linking inland systems to submarine cable landing stations.

Beyond resilience, submarine cables are often associated with lower internet costs. A June 2025 report by the Foundation for Studies and Research on International Development (Ferdi) found that doubling international capacity can lead to an immediate 32% drop in fixed broadband prices and up to 50% for mobile broadband.

The World Bank reports similar trends. In a July 2024 study, it estimated that each doubling of submarine cable capacity in Africa reduces fixed broadband prices by about 7% and mobile broadband prices by around 13%.

These changes could help drive wider adoption of digital services. High access costs remain one of the main barriers to internet use across the continent. According to the International Telecommunication Union, internet penetration stood at 64.9% in Namibia in 2024, compared with 40.7% in Angola. Across Africa, about 35.7% of the population used the internet in 2025.

Issaac K. Kassouwi