Telecom Egypt announced the completion of the second and final landing in Egypt of the 2Africa subsea internet cable, the world’s longest undersea communications cable.
The cable is designed to boost internet connectivity between Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
2Africa has been connected to the Port Said station on the Mediterranean coast, Telecom Egypt said in a statement.
The landing marked the end of 2Africa installations in Egypt after the first landing in Ras Ghareb on the Red Sea coast five months ago. Telecom Egypt had already completed the terrestrial crossing of Egypt ahead of schedule in 2020, the company said.
The project was launched in 2020 by a group of telecom operators including Telecom Egypt, Meta Platforms Inc., China Mobile International, and Orange SA.
The 45,000-kilometre system is built by Alcatel Submarine Networks. It will interconnect 33 countries through 46 landings and provide more than the combined capacity of all existing subsea cables serving Africa.
“Egypt complements its privileged location with vast experience in landing subsea systems and a dedicated team capable of overcoming operational challenges,” said Paul Gabla, vice president of sales and marketing at Alcatel Submarine Networks.
Various media platforms, including Reuters and Bloomberg, reported that Egypt is planning to sell a 10 percent stake in Telecom Egypt to be traded on the Egyptian Stock Exchange (EGX).
The Egyptian government owns 80 percent of Telecom Egypt’s shares, the remaining shares are already being traded on the EGX.
Telecom Egypt said in March the Egyptian government is exploring floating an additional stake in the company on the EGX in 2023.
