African Telecommunications Fiber Optic Cable Project
In 2024, over 15 submarine cables encircle Africa, with new projects like Google's Equiano and Meta's 2Africa added thousands of terabits of capacity, dramatically increasing internet speeds and reliability. Though tech giants have invested heavily in high-performance digital infrastructure — more cell towers, faster networks — Africans across the continent still grapple with sluggish internet speeds and expensive data. Tech companies such as Google and Facebook parent Meta are investing in new data. Bayobab, a subsidiary of MTN Group, has announced a collaboration with Africa50 to build a terrestrial fibre optic cable network that would run across Africa. Called Project East2West and riding on a $320 million investment, the project aims to connect the eastern and western shores of Africa. Africa's rapid digital transformation is reshaping the continent's economic landscape, driven largely by ambitious fibre-optic projects, submarine cables, and national broadband networks.
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