THE 2Africa subsea cable finally landed near Pipeline Beach on Monday, February 6, and it is expected to bring the much-needed additional international capacity for the internet which will benefit businesses and individuals throughout South Africa.

From the beach, the cable will make its way underground to a data station near Arbour Road, owned and operated by the West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC) and Open Access Data Centres.

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The 45 000km, 180 Terabits per second (Tbps) 2Africa cable system was laid on the seabed by the Ile De Brehat ship, which has been a constant sight off the coast of Amanzimtoti recently. It is the longest in the world, connecting Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

WIOCC group CEO Chris Wood said this project will further contribute to building Africa’s digital infrastructure and accelerating the continent’s digital transformation through the delivery of converged, open digital infrastructure.

“We are pleased to be working with our partners in the 2Africa project, bringing faster, more reliable internet to local businesses and consumers and making an enduring contribution to communications in Africa. The subsea cable system is enabling more communities to access transformative online resources, from education and healthcare to jobs and financial services, and to experience the economic and social benefits of seamless connectivity,” said Wood.

2Africa is a consortium of companies that includes MTN, Facebook, Vodafone, Telecom Egypt, China Mobile International and Orange. The 2Africa cable project was launched in May 2020 to significantly increase the capacity, quality and availability of internet connectivity between Africa and the rest of the world.

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