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Facebook, Inc is collaborating with a set of telecom companies to build a subsea cable that will aid internet activities around Africa and the Middle East. The collaboration includes China Mobile International, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange and Vodafone.
2Africa which is the name of the project involves laying a 37,000km (22,990 miles) long cables. It will link 16 African countries with a route from Europe and the Middle East.
The total network capacity of all subsea cables currently serving Africa is only of a fraction of the Facebook 2Africa cable that is to be laid. Some territories through which the cable will run have over a billion people put together without internet activity. That will change when the cable goes live in 2023 or in the beginning of 2024. The continent will receive high-speed connectivity.
The cables’ key components will make up its 180Tbps capacity. The amount invested in the project is unknown. However, Facebook will be able to lower its bandwidth prices when the cable is live.
Najam Ahmad, Vice President of Network Infrastructure at Facebook, commented on the project. He said “2Africa is a major element of our ongoing investment in Africa to bring more people online to faster internet. We’ve seen first-hand the positive impact that increased connectivity has on communities, from education to healthcare.”
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