Meta completes core of 2Africa subsea cable as project pushes toward 2026 expansion
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Meta has completed the core build of its 2Africa subsea cable system, marking a major milestone in one of the world’s largest connectivity projects, with further expansions already underway.
The cable links East and West Africa and connects the continent to the Middle East, South Asia and Europe. It currently lands in 33 countries, ultimately aiming to deliver improved international capacity to more than 3 billion people.
Meta led the consortium behind 2Africa, which includes Bayobab (MTN Group), center3 (stc), CMI, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group and WIOCC. Bharti Airtel and MainOne (Equinix) also partnered on specific segments and data centre integration to extend the system’s reach.
Work is now progressing on the Pearls Extension - a significant expansion stretching from the Horn of Africa to South Asia and across the Persian Gulf. The upgrade is due to go live in 2026 and will bring the full system to around 45,000km, longer than the circumference of the Earth.
Each cable contains 16 fibre pairs, double the capacity of earlier subsea systems, and is the first of this scale to connect Africa, Meta said. The system also incorporates technologies such as undersea optical wavelength switching, enabling more flexible bandwidth management to support emerging demands including AI and cloud services.
Meta noted that the cable will deliver 180Tbps of trunk capacity - enough for 36 million HD video streams at once - and could contribute up to US$36.9 billion to Africa’s GDP within its first three years of operation through job creation, entrepreneurship and digital ecosystem growth.
Speaking at an event to mark the milestone, Vodacom Group CTO Dejan Kastelic said 2Africa “is not just about infrastructure, it is a catalyst for economic growth, innovation and inclusion.”
“Africa is home to the world’s youngest population, with over 60% under the age of 25. By 2030, the continent is projected to have over 1 billion internet users. Mobile data consumption per smartphone is set to nearly triple, creating unprecedented opportunities for digital services, financial inclusion, and commerce. Reliable connectivity is key to unlocking this potential,” he said.
Experts speaking to Developing Telecoms said they do not expect the subsea cable boom to slow down any time soon as connectivity demands continue to rise.
