• Meta completed the core infrastructure for 2Africa, the world's longest open-access subsea cable system at 45,000 kilometers.

• The system connects 33 countries across Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, with 180 Tbps of capacity on the West segment alone.

• Cable is expected to contribute $36.9 billions to Africa's GDP over the first 2-3 years, as the continent hosts 77 active or under-construction cable systems.

Meta announced on November 17 that it had completed the core 2Africa infrastructure. This project, the world's longest open-access subsea cable system, is designed to connect communities, accelerate economic growth, and enable transformative digital experiences across Africa and beyond.

According to Meta, 2Africa is the first cable to connect East and West Africa in a continuous system and link Africa to the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe. With a current reach of 33 countries, the system enables connectivity for 3 billion people across Africa, Europe, and Asia – more than 30% of the world's population. With the Pearls extension scheduled to go live in 2026, 2Africa's complete system length of 45,000 kilometers is longer than the Earth's circumference, Meta says.

Africa's digital future depends on robust, scalable infrastructure built in partnership with local communities and stakeholders. A consortium of global partners led by Meta, including Bayobab (MTN Group), center3 (stc), CMI, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group, and WIOCC, came together to design and invest in this subsea cable system. The deployment spanned 50 jurisdictions and nearly six years of work, relying on the active engagement of regulators and policymakers to navigate requirements and keep progress on track.

The consortium's shared goal is to develop an open, inclusive network that fosters competition, supports innovation, and unlocks new opportunities for millions. This open-access model enables multiple service providers to leverage the infrastructure, accelerating digital transformation and AI adoption across the region. New partners, including Bharti Airtel and MainOne (an Equinix Company), collaborated on specific segments and data center integration.

2Africa delivers a step change in international bandwidth for Africa. On the West segment, stretching from England to South Africa and landing in countries including Senegal, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, DRC, and Angola, the cable supports 21 terabits per second per fiber pair, with eight fiber pairs on the trunk, resulting in total trunk capacity of up to 180 Tbps. To put it in perspective, 180 Tbps is enough to stream over 36 million HD movies simultaneously (assuming 5 Mbps per stream). For a city like Lagos, it means millions of people can video call, stream, and work online simultaneously without experiencing slowdowns or congestion.

This capacity ensures a near-limitless supply of international internet bandwidth, allowing internet service providers and mobile network operators to secure capacity at much lower wholesale prices. This creates market competition and redundancy, and supports modern digital infrastructure, including cloud services, data centers, and 5G deployment.

According to Meta, 2Africa is expected to contribute up to $36.9 billion to Africa's GDP within the first two to three years of operation. “The cable's arrival will boost job creation, entrepreneurship, and innovation hubs in connected regions. Evidence from previous cable landings shows that fast internet access increases employment rates, improves productivity, and supports shifts toward higher-skill occupations,” it stated.

The completion comes as African submarine cable infrastructure faces growing concerns about vulnerability. In March 2024, damage to multiple West African cables left several countries partially disconnected for days. The incident, traced to undersea landslides, underscored how fragile this infrastructure remains. The 2Africa completion positions Africa within a rapidly expanding subsea cable landscape. The latest 2025 Africa Telecommunications Map lists 77 cable systems connecting Africa that are currently active or under construction, according to TeleGeography.

Hikmatu Bilali