The chosen gateway for the landing is Kalba in the North-Eastern part of the UAE. The choice is strategic, according to e&, and complements its existing Fujairah cable landing station.
Nabil Baccouche, e& Group chief carrier and wholesale officer said: "[The] 2Africa project promises to elevate the overall digital landscape in the region, solidifying the country's position as one of the region's premier ICT hubs.
“e&’s involvement in this transformative project will significantly enhance the Internet user experience in the UAE, enabling the world’s largest content providers and global carriers to deliver cutting edge technology in e& carrier-neutral data centre ecosystem, SmartHub.”
The 2Africa consortium of Bayobab, centre3, China Mobile International, Meta, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group and WIOCC is developing the 45,000km cable system, which is the world’s largest subsea cable project.
It will foster interconnection between Europe, Asia and Africa and is set to deliver essential internet capacity and reliability across substantial parts of Africa, while addressing the growing capacity demand in the Middle East.
Alcatel Submarine Networks has been tapped to manufacture and install the cable.
e& will lead the development of the necessary infrastructure for the landing station and is responsible for its maintenance over the coming decades.
