• Morocco secured its sixth international connection via the Medusa submarine cable, with operations scheduled for 2026.
• Inwi contracted a 1,416 km high-speed route connecting Nador to Marseille, enhancing network redundancy and sovereignty.
• The 480-terabit capacity system supports a market of 41.2 million subscribers and may drive broadband prices down by up to 50%.

Telecom companies Orange and Inwi announced the landing of the Medusa fiber optic submarine cable on Moroccan shores on Tuesday, December 16. This infrastructure represents the sixth international cable for the kingdom. The connection strengthens the country's international connectivity. The operators scheduled its commissioning for 2026.

inwi renforce durablement la connectivité internationale du Maroc ??
Avec l’atterrissement du câble sous-marin @Medusa à Nador, #inwi franchit une étape clé dans le développement des infrastructures numériques du Royaume.
Un investissement structurant pour renforcer la… pic.twitter.com/K9GlovwhHu

— inwi (@inwi) December 16, 2025

Inwi highlighted the strategic importance of this development. Inwi stated in a press release on social media: “This project fits into a long-term vision aiming to strengthen the Kingdom's digital sovereignty, improve national network resilience, and accelerate digital inclusion across the entire territory.”

Local press reports provided specific contract details. Inwi contracted a high-speed link of 1,416 km from Medusa Submarine Cable System. This link connects Nador (Morocco) to Marseille (France). This new international route constitutes an additional axis toward Europe. It complements existing infrastructures. The link improves network redundancy and international communication reliability. It also boosts national network resilience against the exponential growth of data flows.

The Medusa cable spans over 8,700 km. It contains 24 fiber pairs for a total capacity of 480 terabits. The project planners initially designed it to link Morocco, Portugal, Spain, France, Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt. The system will also benefit from an extension to Sub-Saharan African countries.

A June 2025 report by the Foundation for Studies and Research on International Development (FERDI) outlines the economic benefits. The doubling of international capacity via submarine cables drives an immediate price drop. The document predicts decreases of up to 32% for fixed broadband and 50% for mobile broadband. The study cites the Didon cable in Tunisia (2014). That project enabled a 5% price reduction for mobile broadband. The IFC highlights that submarine cable reinforcement contributes to connecting more people to the Internet while improving quality.

Several cables currently serve Morocco. These include Atlas Offshore, Canalink, EllaLink, Est-Tet, and Maroc Telecom West Africa, according to the Submarine Cable Map platform. Official statistics show the scale of local demand. The country counted 41.2 million Internet subscriptions (fixed and mobile) at the end of June 2025. These users generate an average usage of 42 GB per month per subscription.

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

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum