Telecom

Maroc Telecom invests €150 mln in subsea cable to connect African subsidiaries

Maroc Telecom invests €150 mln in subsea cable to connect African subsidiaries
Friday, 02 June 2023 19:09

The demand for broadband connectivity is set to keep growing in Africa over the next few years. To meet this demand, operators are strengthening their infrastructure. 

The Moroccan telecommunications group Itissalat Al Maghrib (Maroc Telecom) has invested 150 million euros in the construction of a new fiber optic submarine cable. Called "West Africa", the infrastructure was presented at Gitex Africa 2023, held in Marrakech from Wednesday, May 31 to Friday, June 2. It links the company's subsidiaries and operators in the West African region to the international optical loop in Europe.

The new cable is 9,414 km long and comprises two segments. The South segment interconnects Morocco with Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Gabon, and Mauritania via 7 landing points over a distance of 8,600 km. Commissioned in July 2021, it provides a capacity of 20 Tb/s, expandable to 40 Tb/s. The North segment was commissioned in April 2022, linking Casablanca to Lisbon (Portugal) over a distance of 814 km, with a capacity of 60 Tb/s.

This investment should enable Maroc Telecom to strengthen the capacities of its subsidiaries, which have become a major factor in the Group's growth in a highly competitive domestic market. In the first quarter of 2023, the subsidiaries generated MAD4.6 billion ($455 million) in sales, up 7.3%, while its domestic operations generated MAD4.7 billion (up 0.6%). This performance by subsidiaries in sub-Saharan Africa was driven in particular by a 27% growth in the mobile data segment.  

According to Maroc Telecom, the West Africa cable "aims to support digital transformation in Africa by offering high-speed broadband Internet access, and to bring populations closer together by promoting digital integration."

Isaac K. Kassouwi

On the same topic
Uganda launches “Beera Ku Guard” cybersecurity awareness campaign Goal: train 100,000 citizens, reach 70% population Targets digital safety,...
Guinea inaugurated a Tier 3-certified national data center in Conakry on Sept 4. The facility is designed to secure national data and strengthen...
(GSMA)  Registration is officially open for GSMA MWC25 Kigali, which will return to the Kigali Convention Centre from 21-23 October 2025....
• Bolt, Glovo, Chowdeck expand fast, all relying on automated order updates via messaging APIs.• WhatsApp has strong position with 80%+ reach; Meta...
Most Read
01

Over the past two decades, mobile money has grown into a cornerstone of African finance. Driven by i...

Africa’s Mobile Money Boom: A New Frontier for Global Payment Giants
02

On August 31, 2025, the ruling coalition in Benin Republic—comprising the Union Progressiste pour le...

Romuald Wadagni: From High-Profile Minister of Finance to Presidential Candidate for 2026
03

Nigeria eyes $671m data center market by 2030, seeks Chinese investors. Rising mobile da...

Nigeria Courts Chinese Investors for $671 Million Data Center Market
04

South Africa is advancing with plans to open its payments system to non-banks, with the first lice...

South Africa Pushes with Reform to Open National Payments System Beyond Banks
05

• Tanzania to host investor talks on expanding CNG infrastructure• Government aims to boost CNG use,...

Tanzania Looks to Compressed Natural Gas to Ease Dependence on Costly Oil
Enter your email to receive our newsletter

Ecofin Agency provides daily coverage of nine key African economic sectors: public management, finance, telecoms, agribusiness, mining, energy, transport, communication, and education.
It also designs and manages specialized media, both online and print, for African institutions and publishers.

SALES & ADVERTISING

regie@agenceecofin.com 
Tél: +41 22 301 96 11 
Mob: +41 78 699 13 72


EDITORIAL
redaction@agenceecofin.com

More information
Team
Publisher

ECOFIN AGENCY

Mediamania Sarl
Rue du Léman, 6
1201 Geneva
Switzerland

 

Ecofin Agency is a sector-focused economic news agency, founded in December 2010. Its web platform was launched in June 2011. ©Mediamania.

 
 

Please publish modules in offcanvas position.