• MTN Congo activated the 2Africa submarine cable, adding a second international route after weeks of WACS disruptions.

• 2Africa provides 180 terabits per second of nominal capacity, compared with 14.5 Tbps for WACS.

• Studies show that doubling submarine cable capacity can cut broadband prices in Africa by 7% to 50%, depending on the segment.

MTN Congo announced on Friday, February 13, that it activated the 2Africa submarine cable in the Republic of Congo, strengthening national digital infrastructure after weeks of internet disruptions linked to technical failures on the country’s only previous international cable.

Several African countries, including the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo, have faced service interruptions in recent weeks due to outages affecting the 2Africa system. However, Congo had relied primarily on the West Africa Cable System (WACS) since 2012 for international capacity.

MTN Congo stated that operators connected the 2Africa cable at Pointe-Noire and established a direct link to London. The company added that the infrastructure provides two secure international routes via South Africa and Nigeria. The system increases international capacity, enhances network reliability and resilience, reduces latency to Europe and major platforms, and improves performance for streaming, cloud services, videoconferencing and digital financial services.

MTN landed the 2Africa cable in 2023. The company said the activation will provide faster connections, improved streaming and video call quality, and more secure and efficient enterprise connectivity for Congolese users. The rollout comes as persistent internet disruptions in Congo continue due to failures on the WACS cable, which has served as the country’s sole international link.

In response to the outages, the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Digital Economy announced in late January that authorities would commission a new submarine cable within three weeks. Officials also cited plans to strengthen operator resilience mechanisms, activate backup routes and intensify cooperation with neighboring countries to reduce dependence on a single cable. Authorities also mentioned a future “Dow Africa” cable project.

New Submarine Cable, Potential Benefits

Congolese authorities said the connection to the new cable will allow operators to improve internet connectivity and enhance service quality and availability for consumers amid accelerated digital transformation. Official sources estimate that more than 3.5 million Congolese use the internet daily out of a population of nearly 6 million, representing a penetration rate of about 58.3%.

Submarine cables typically drive down internet costs alongside quality improvements. A report published in June 2025 by the Fondation pour les études et recherches sur le développement international (FERDI) found that doubling international capacity from submarine cables generally triggers an immediate 32% reduction in fixed broadband prices and up to a 50% drop in mobile broadband prices in Africa.

The World Bank stated in a July 2024 study that each doubling of submarine cable capacity in Africa generally reduces fixed broadband prices by 7%. The bank observed an average 13% decline for mobile broadband across the continent. WACS offers nominal capacity of 14.5 terabits per second, while 2Africa provides 180 terabits per second.

FERDI’s report, titled “The Impact of Submarine Cables on Internet Access Price, and the Role of Competition and Regulation,” cited Nigeria as an example, where the deployment of five new cables between 2010 and 2015 reduced mobile broadband prices by five percentage points. The report added that the inauguration of the Didon cable in Tunisia in 2014 produced a similar effect on mobile tariffs.

Data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) show that the cost of 5 GB of mobile broadband represented 5.32% of gross national income (GNI) per capita in 2025. Although this figure matched the African average, it exceeded the ITU affordability threshold of 2% and the global average of 1.38%. For fixed broadband, the 5 GB basket represented 12.5% of GNI per capita, below the African average of 15.1% but above the global average of 2.53%.

Challenges and Obstacles

These benefits remain conditional. The new cable adds capacity at the coastal landing station, but operators must transport that capacity across the national territory to ensure broad access.

Congo launched construction of a second national fiber backbone in September 2023 after the arrival of 2Africa. Authorities plan to use the new backbone to carry 2Africa traffic with a capacity of 10 gigabits and to connect Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville. Officials have not provided a recent update on the project’s progress.

The country’s first backbone currently carries traffic from WACS, and Congo interconnects with neighboring countries through the Central Africa Backbone (CAB) initiative. However, national fiber infrastructure remains vulnerable to vandalism, which can disrupt connectivity.

FERDI emphasized the importance of resilience given the continent’s reliance on a limited number of critical infrastructures and the shortage of national backup networks. The organization also stressed the role of regulation, stating that only countries with independent authorities capable of enforcing competition, supervising infrastructure sharing and protecting consumers fully benefit from the price reductions associated with submarine cables.

This article was initially published in French by Isaac K. Kassouwi

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum