• Algeria to connect new undersea fibre-optic cable, minister says

• Project aims to boost internet speeds amid rising data demand

• Move supports digital transformation, expanding broadband capacity

Algeria plans to connect to a new undersea fibre-optic cable to boost internet speeds, Post and Telecommunications Minister Sid Ali Zerrouki said on Monday in an interview with Algerian Radio.

Construction of the cable project will begin within the next two days, according to the state news agency Algeria Press Service (APS). No further details were provided on the name of the infrastructure, its capacity, cost, technical partners or commissioning schedule.

Data from Submarine Cable Map, a platform that tracks global subsea infrastructure, show that two cables are expected to enter service in Algeria in 2026. These include Africa-1, with a nominal capacity of between 200 and 300 gigabits per second (Gbps), and the Medusa cable, which is currently under installation. The first phase of Medusa is scheduled for completion in 2026 and will include segments with up to 24 fibre pairs, each capable of carrying up to 20 terabits per second.

Algeria is currently connected to five submarine cables: TE North/TGN-Eurasia/SEACOM/Alexandros/Medex, SeaMeWe-4, Oran-Valencia (ORVAL), Med Cable Network and Alpal-2. Total installed capacity stands at 10.2 terabits per second. This level of capacity places Algeria in a strong position in terms of internet speeds, the minister said.

The capacity expansion comes as part of a broader digital transformation driven by the rapid uptake of information and communication technologies (ICT), particularly internet services. This trend is reflected in sustained growth in data demand and consumption. GSMA forecasts that average monthly data usage per subscription in Africa will rise from 4 gigabytes in 2024 to 9 gigabytes by 2030.

In Algeria, the number of internet subscriptions increased from about 18.6 million in December 2015 to around 59.1 million by the end of June 2025. Over the same period, data consumption rose from approximately 379.7 million gigabytes in the second quarter of 2020 to about 3.3 billion gigabytes in the second quarter of 2025. Used bandwidth also increased, from 1,600 Gbps to 5,390 Gbps, out of the country’s total installed capacity of 10.2 terabits per second. Algeria has also recently launched commercial 5G services, which are more powerful and significantly more capacity-intensive than previous generations.

Sector studies and analyses show that expanding submarine cable capacity can significantly reduce mobile broadband prices and support wider adoption of digital services. However, they also stress the importance of extending fibre-optic networks across the country to carry connectivity inland beyond coastal landing points.

Isaac K. Kassouwi