As the designated landing partner for 2Africa in the UAE, e& will lead the development of the necessary infrastructure and will be responsible for its maintenance.
E& Carrier & Wholesale is set to anchor the 2Africa subsea cable, heralding reportedly the most extensive subsea cable system landing in the UAE to date.
The chosen gateway for this pivotal project is Kalba, situated in the North-eastern part of the United Arab Emirates. This strategic selection complements e&’s existing Fujairah cable landing station, bolstering diversity and resilience in the UAEs connectivity landscape.
The 2Africa consortium, comprising Bayobab, centre3, China Mobile International, Meta, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group, and WIOCC, is spearheading the development of an impressive 45,000 km submarine cable system. Regarded as the worlds largest subsea cable project, it aims to foster interconnection between Europe, Asia, and Africa. Alcatel Submarine Networks is entrusted with the manufacture and installation of the 2Africa cable, which is poised to deliver vital Internet capacity and reliability across significant parts of Africa while addressing the growing capacity demand in the Middle East.
As the designated landing partner for 2Africa in the UAE, e& will spearhead the development of essential infrastructure for the landing station and will assume responsibility for maintenance in the coming decades.
Nabil Baccouche, e& Group Chief Carrier & Wholesale Officer, said: ” The 2Africa project promises to elevate the overall digital landscape in the region, solidifying the country’s position as one of the region’s premier ICT hubs. e&s involvement in this transformative project will significantly enhance the Internet user experience in the UAE, enabling the worlds largest content providers and global carriers to deliver cutting-edge technology in e&’s carrier-neutral data centre ecosystem, SmartHub.
With approximately 20 subsea cable systems landing in the UAE, the majority of which are managed by e&, the company boasts unique technical expertise, a robust operating structure, a neutral access Data Centre, diverse landing stations, and adherence to global standards.
