The world’s longest open-access subsea cable system and the first to link East and West Africa in a single, continuous system is finally complete.

Spanning 45 000 km and connecting 33 countries across Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and Europe, Meta’s 2Africa Subsea Cable system is expected to transform connectivity for Africa’s 1.4 billion people over the next decade, reports Africa Business Communities.

‘We built 2Africa to be open by design so more providers can connect, and people and businesses can get faster, more dependable service. Under the surface, it’s engineered for scale, reliability and to power the next wave of cloud and AI experiences,’ Alex-Handrah Aime, vice-president of Network Investments at Meta, said at a ceremony in Cape Town to celebrate the launch of the project..

Installed over six years at a reported cost of close to US$1 billion, 2Africa is expected to add up to $36.9 billion to Africa’s GDP within several years of operation, according to Meta.

On the West segment, from England to South Africa, the cable supports 21 Tbps per fibre pair with eight fibre pairs on the trunk, totalling 168 Tbps. In the Mediterranean, shorter distances allow for more than 30 Tbps per fibre pair, and with 16 fibre pairs, the system can deliver over 180 Tbps in these segments.

Its partners in the venture included Bayobab (MTN Group), Orange, center3, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group and the West Indian Ocean Cable Company.

25 November 2025
Image: 2Africa