National operator Tunisie Telecom has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Medusa, the submarine fibre optic system connecting the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic and the Red Sea.
The agreement covers the supply and operation of a dedicated fibre optic link between Bizerte, a city in northern Tunisia, and Marseille in France, with a capacity of 20 Tbps, based on the latest submarine cable technologies. The deployment in the western Mediterranean is set for 2025, with completion expected in early 2026.
At a recent contract signing ceremony Mr Lassâad Ben Dhiab, Chairman and CEO of Tunisie Telecom, said: “We are particularly proud to take part in the trans-Mediterranean digital connectivity project. By connecting our fibre optic infrastructure to this Mediterranean system, Tunisie Telecom will provide more innovative and secure solutions to better meet customer expectations while contributing to the development of Tunisia’s digital ecosystem.”
Communication’s Minister Sofiene Hemissi pointed out that this initiative contributes to reinforcing Tunisia’s digital sovereignty and improving its regional and international ranking in the digital sector.
With a span of over 8,700 km, Medusa will connect the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea, creating a new corridor for global data traffic. This strategic infrastructure complements Tunisia’s existing submarine cable links: PEACE, SeaMeWE-4, Didon and the Hannibal system.
Agence Ecofin notes that this initiative comes a few weeks after the announcement of the launch of 5G internet by Sofiene Hemissi.
Ecofin adds that Tunisie Telecom has 3.1 million subscribers to 3G and 4G mobile Internet, or 29% of market share, putting it second behind Ooredoo Tunisia (4.5 million subscribers) and ahead of Orange Tunisia (3 million subscribers). In fixed internet, Tunisie Telecom reportedly has 28,092 fibre optic subscribers, or 28.3% market share, second behind Topnet (41,407 subscribers) and ahead of Ooredoo Tunisia (17,695 subscribers).
Recent estimates put the Tunisian population at a little over 12 million.
