• €395M Medusa cable lands in Marseille, linking Mediterranean nations

• First phase connects France, Tunisia, Morocco; full launch by 2026

• Planned expansion targets 22 African countries, including Gabon

Medusa, a €342 million (about $395 million) submarine cable project led by telecom infrastructure company AFR-IX Telecom, has entered its deployment phase.

Partner Orange Group landed the cable in Marseille on Wednesday, October 8, marking the start of a system that will link several Mediterranean countries and extend connectivity into Sub-Saharan Africa.

"By bringing Medusa to Marseille, one of Europe's leading digital hubs, we are laying the foundation for a project that will transform communications between Europe and Africa. Medusa will act as a driver of economic growth for the region and a catalyst for knowledge exchange across the Mediterranean," said Norman Albi, CEO of AFR-IX Telecom and Medusa.

Deployment and Expansion Plans

According to AFR-IX Telecom, the initial segment will connect Marseille to Bizerte, Tunisia, and Nador, Morocco, with landings scheduled from late October to December 2025. Deployment of subsequent segments will continue throughout 2026.

Once completed, the system will span 8,700 kilometers of submarine cable, linking Southern Europe and North Africa and including 19 landing points.

Medusa’s plan also calls for a major extension into Sub-Saharan Africa. In March 2025, AFR-IX Telecom announced an expansion toward West Africa, backed by €14.3 million in financing from the European Commission. In late March, Gabon signed an agreement to connect to the cable, with its landing slated for 2028.

In addition, a feasibility study announced in September, in partnership with the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), is underway to assess extending the cable to 22 African countries, potentially reaching hundreds of millions of people.

Medusa says the system will feature segments equipped with up to 24 fiber pairs, each capable of delivering 20 terabits per second. The project’s first phase is expected to become operational in early 2026.

Industry studies show that boosting submarine cable capacity can significantly reduce mobile broadband costs and spur broader digital adoption. However, they also stress the need for robust inland fiber networks to extend connectivity beyond coastal areas.

Isaac K. Kassouwi