Djibouti has welcomed the arrival of a submarine cable named 2Africa, which arrived after months of travel. It is the 9th cable to land in Djibouti.
2Africa landing was led by Facebook. The cable connects three continents: Africa, Asia and Europe. It stretches over 45,000 kilometers and thus becomes the longest fiber optic submarine cable ever deployed, which will serve 33 countries.
Companies That Worked On The 2Africa Project
The 2Africa project became a reality thanks to the efforts of all the companies involved which are Facebook, China Mobile International, MTN Global Connect, Orange, Vodafone, Egypt Telecom, STC (Saudi Telecom Company), WIOCC. The realization of this large-scale project was entrusted to a French company called ASN (Alcatel Submarine Networks).
2Africa Launching Ceremony
To celebrate the expansion of its connectivity capabilities, a ceremony was held at Siesta Beach.
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Many notable government officials such as the Director-General of Djibouti Telecom, Mr Mohamed Assoweh Bouh, the Minister of Communication in charge of Posts and Telecommunications, Mr Radwan Abdillahi Bahdon, the Managing Director of the Sovereign Fund of Djibouti (FSD), Mr Slim Feriani, and several representatives of the Smart Africa Alliance, were in attendance.
What This Means For Djibouti Télécom
Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of Communication in charge of Posts and Telecommunications, Mr. Radwan Abdillahi Bahdon, stated that,
“We are here today to welcome Facebook’s 2Africa Undersea Cable. It is a 45,000 km long cable that will become the longest cable in the world as soon as it is finished. It will serve Africa, Europe, and Asia. This cable has very high performance compared to other cables that arrive in Africa. And it can support a capacity of up to 180 Tbps.
As you know, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the importance of connectivity because many people need to be connected, either to study or to work or to be in touch with their families. This is the reason why Djibouti Télécom has made every effort to ensure that the people of Djibouti can have a high-speed internet network.
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With the arrival of this new cable, 2Africa, this will become a reality. I would like to tell you that all this is made possible thanks to the President of the Republic, His Excellency Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, who has spared no effort to ensure that Djibouti becomes a regional and international telecommunications hub.
I would also like to add that this is the 9th submarine cable to arrive in Djibouti, we have in our program five other submarine cables which will land in Djibouti and which will further strengthen national and regional connectivity.”