2Africa submarine cable runs for 45,000 kms connecting 33 countries on three continents
Vodafone’s 2Africa submarine cable system was moored and connected today in Carcavelos, Cascais, to Altice Portugal’s submarine cable station (Altice being the owner of the MEO network)
Said Vodafone Portugal in a statement: “2Africa has arrived in Portugal thanks to the investments of an international consortium (…) the cable was moored in Carcavelos, one of the European landing points from where this state-of-the-art infrastructure enters mainland Portugal.”
On February 12, an order was published in State gazette Diário da República recognising the project as an “action of significant public interest”.
The 2Africa consortium includes eight international partners: Bayobab, Centre3, China Mobile International, Meta, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group and WIOCC.
Alcatel Submarine Networks is responsible for manufacturing and installing the 2Africa cable.
Its arrival in Portugal, “reinforces the country’s strategic importance – above all due to its privileged location – for this type of fundamental infrastructure for national and international communications, boosting the digitalisation of companies, institutions and private customers,” said Vodafone Portugal’s chief network officer, Paulino Corrêa, quoted in the statement.
“Vodafone proudly joins this project that makes Portugal a key player in technological development, further strengthening the country’s connection to the world,” he added.
The cable offers important additional capacity to meet the demand for global telecoms services in coming decades (Internet services, videoconferencing, advanced multimedia and mobile applications for digital video, high-definition television and cloud computing).
It will improve connectivity for companies, institutions and private customers.
Launched in May 2020, the cable will connect 33 countries on three continents (Europe, Africa and Asia) and have 46 mooring points along its 45,000 km length when completed.
MEO – owned by Altice Portugal – has been involved in the national and international submarine cable industry for over 50 years.
MEO is responsible for operating the submarine cables linking Mainland-Azores-Madeira (CAM), as well as for operating the submarine cable system that interconnects the islands of the Azores, which makes up the Inter-Island system.
MEO has two international Submarine Cable Stations (SCS), located in Sesimbra (inaugurated in 1969) and Carcavelos (whose origins date back to the 19th century). In addition to these, there are other SCS on the islands (Azores and Madeira) and on the mainland that tie up domestic submarine cables.
It is due to this enormous undersea cabling network that Naval ships have to be scrambled regularly to ‘monitor and accompany’ Russian ‘scientific research’ vessels.
Source material: LUSA
