2Africa is the fourth international submarine cable system to which Madagascar is connected. Until then, the country was served by the EASSY (Eastern Africa Submarin System), LION (Lower Indian Ocean Network) and METISS (MEltingpoT Indianoceanic Submarine System) systems.

The Malagasy telecom operator Telma, a subsidiary of the Axian group, has connected Madagascar to the 2Africa submarine cable system, in partnership with the British company Vodafone. The infrastructure landed in Majunga, in the northwest of the island. Once commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2023, it will strengthen Telma’s capacity to meet the growing demand for online services in the country.

45,000 km long, 2Africa is designed with a capacity of 180 terabytes per second. This is expected to help bridge the digital divide on the continent by supporting the growth of 4G, 5G and fixed broadband access for hundreds of millions of people, including those not yet connected to services. telecoms.

The landing of 2Africa in Madagascar is part of the progressive deployment of the infrastructure with a view to its full commissioning in 2024. The cable system has already landed in Italy, France, Spain, Egypt, in South Africa. The infrastructure should land in around 40 sites over the next few months. Nearly half of these sites are in Africa.

The 2Africa cable reinforces the national telecom infrastructure of Telma in particular, and that of Madagascar in general. Once commissioned, it will support the other international submarine cable systems to which Madagascar is connected, namely: EASSY (Eastern Africa Submarin System), LION (Lower Indian Ocean Network) and METISS (MEltingpoT Indianoceanic Submarine System). This will improve the coverage and quality of telecom services in the country. According to the latest statistics from the Communication Technologies Regulatory Authority (ARTEC), only 46.38% of the population has access to mobile services.

“  2Africa’s connectivity is expected to be a game-changer for many economic sectors by enabling access to the fastest Internet available. Beyond our business activity, we want to offer every Malagasy the opportunity and the means to become a citizen of the digital world  ,” Axian said in a statement.

Furthermore, a study by RTI International predicts that 2Africa will have an economic impact of USD 26.2 to 36.9 billion, equivalent to 0.42 to 0.58% of Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP). , within two to three years of commissioning.

Source: Agence Ecofin