Medusa, a €342 million ($395 million) underwater cable project, has formally begun its deployment phase, a significant step toward Africa’s goals of digital connectivity.
The project, which is being led by AFR-IX Telecom, a telecom infrastructure company based in Barcelona, aims to significantly increase cross-continental internet capacity by establishing a new data corridor between Europe, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
On Wednesday, October 8, project partner Orange Group landed the first cable segment in Marseille, France. This milestone begins the 8,700-kilometre system that will link Southern Europe with several North African nations before extending southward 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,” said Norman Albi, CEO of AFR-IX Telecom and Medusa.
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“Medusa will act as a driver of economic growth for the region and a catalyst for knowledge exchange across the Mediterranean.”
Medusa submarine cable’s expansion
According to AFR-IX Telecom, the first section of the Medusa cable will link Marseille to Bizerte in Tunisia and Nador in Morocco, with landings planned from October to December 2025.
The 8,700-kilometre digital interconnection will connect the Atlantic coast, Mediterranean Sea, and Red Sea, creating a new high-speed data corridor that will improve connectivity between Europe and Africa.
The system is one of the most potent submarine networks in the area, with a total capacity of 480 terabits per second (20 terabits per second for each of its 24 fibre pairs).
Medusa will link important North African countries like Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt with central European countries like Cyprus, Greece, France, Portugal, Italy, and Spain. The €342 million project is partially funded by the European Union.
Through 2026, deployment will continue throughout the Mediterranean, eventually establishing 19 landing sites across North Africa and Southern Europe.
Expanding into Sub-Saharan Africa is already underway. AFR-IX obtained an extra €14.3 million from the European Commission earlier this year to expand the system to include West Africa. The project’s cable landing is scheduled for 2028, and Gabon became the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to sign on in March 2025.
AFR-IX and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) have started a feasibility study to assess possible routes for connecting up to 22 more African nations to increase reach.
This expansion could connect hundreds of millions, significantly improving global connectivity and the continent’s digital infrastructure.
Benefits of the Medusa submarine cable project to Africa
When it goes online in 2026, Medusa will be one of the most sophisticated systems in the area. It will have up to 24 fibre pairs that can deliver 20 terabits per second per pair.
According to analysts, by expanding data capacity, the project could lower the high cost of internet services throughout Africa, where broadband access is still among the most expensive in the world.
Due in large part to inadequate infrastructure and expensive data plans, less than 40 per cent of Africans currently have regular access to the internet. With cheaper bandwidth, faster speeds, and more competition among service providers, Medusa’s arrival could be a game-changer.
However, the advantages will depend on supplementary expenditures in inland fibre networks to disperse the capacity from coastal landing sites into the continent’s interior.
The success of Medusa could eventually improve Africa’s standing in the global digital economy by promoting innovation, e-commerce, and remote work opportunities while also assisting in reducing the digital divide that still hinders the continent’s growth.