Digital infrastructure company Equinix Inc and telecoms giant Vodafone are to build a new subsea hub as part of the massive 2Africa cable system that will directly connect 16 countries in Africa to Europe and the Middle East.
The hub, called GN1, will be in Genoa on Italy's northwest coast, a site the partners describe as well-positioned to be a key location on the global subsea cable map. GN1 is being built in line with global environmental standards and will contribute to a portfolio of some of the most energy-efficient data centres in the world. GN1 is expected to utilize 100 percent renewable energy.
Vodafone, the 2Africa cable consortium's lead for European landings, will land the cable system at Genoa and use Equinix's GN1 facility as a strategic interconnection point for the subsea cable system, creating stronger connectivity in Europe.
Equinix hosts over 2,950 cloud and IT service providers on its global platform and can support subsea cable systems in 40 subsea-enabled metros around the world.
First announced in these pages in May last year, 2Africa is one of the world's largest submarine telecommunications cable projects, driven by a large group of partners that includes China Mobile International, Facebook, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, stc, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone and WIOCC.
Responsibility for landing the 2Africa cable is split between the 2Africa parties depending on location.
The cable will circumnavigate the continent of Africa, directly connecting 16 countries to Europe and the Middle East. It will deliver internet capacity and reliability, underpinning the further growth of 4G, 5G and fixed broadband access, not to mention Africa’s ongoing digital transformation and the development of its digital economy.
