Medusa will be the longest submarine cable system in the Mediterranean Sea and will connect nine countries in North Africa and Southern Europe by 2024 and 2025.
Orange says it will give users of the Medusa subsea cable the ability to access all the data centres in Marseille simply and securely, which it will interconnect by setting up brand new fully redundant infrastructure.
It will do this by strengthening its submarine cable access strategy in Marseille with new urban infrastructure routes, increasing the resilience and diversity of access and landing points in the city.
"We are particularly pleased to welcome the Medusa cable to Orange's infrastructure in the heart of the Mediterranean hub of Marseille, as part of a strategic and ambitious project,” said Michaël Trabbia, interim CEO of Orange Wholesale and international networks.
“By combining our submarine cable landing stations with our new urban infrastructure, we are strengthening Marseille's attractiveness as a digital gateway to Europe, and beyond that, France's sovereignty.”
Orange adds that it will handle all of the technical, regulatory, security and environmental aspects, allowing its partners to enjoy “prime” position in Marseille.
Norman Albi, CEO of Medusa added: “Marseille has always been a strategic Mediterranean interconnection point and joining forces with Orange means we can offer a cutting-edge service, against a background of growing needs in the digital economy.
“With this agreement, all Medusa landings in the western Mediterranean are totally secure and ready to be implemented.”
