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The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has taken great strides in its digital transformation. From 9.1 GB (gigabyte) in 2021, the average monthly data traffic per smartphone is expected to grow to 41 GB by 2027. This is indicative of the exponential trend in the evolution of the expressed needs for broadband connectivity at the scale of these large regional clusters.
To meet these needs, a mega-submarine fiber-optic cable, “Medusa”, will be set up in the Mediterranean Sea. The infrastructure, which was opened in July, with construction and installation running from 2024 to 2025, is expected to provide critical connections between Morocco, Portugal, Spain, France, Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Egypt. With a length of some 8700 km and 24 fiber pairs for a total capacity of 480 terabits, this system, which will improve connectivity between the two shores of the Mediterranean, will require investments of more than EUR 342 million. Envelope already allocated by Orange, AFR-IX Telecom, and the European Union (EU) through its financial institutions. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has decided to help by granting EUR 40 million for the construction of the Medusa submarine cable.
To this end, the banking institution, in addition to the support and technical assistance of the holders of this project, signed an agreement at the end of last October with Géant, coordinator of the European national research and education network, and AFR-IX Telecom, the largest network and Internet service provider in Africa and initiator of this project. ElettraTlc is initially responsible for sea-bed survey and sampling operations.
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Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), a subsidiary of the Finnish company Nokia, will manufacture and install the cable between 2024 and 2025, details of the document. Another agreement between Medusa and Telecom Egypt is expected to extend it to the Red Sea. It is expected to be implemented between 2025 and early 2026, over 25 years.
