Last Updated 4th September 2025– Nokia will be actively undertaking in an endeavour that will serve to bridge Africa’s digital gap. The company will leverage its strengths to address Africa’s digital gap. Nokia, a critical technology and infrastructure provider, will ensure the Medusa submarine cable project is built with the most advanced, high-capacity systems available.
Nokia was awarded the contract to supply technology for the ambitious Medusa Submarine Cable System. This information was announced by the Finnish telecommunications group.
In a similar project, Safaricom’s Daraja Fibre Optic Cable Project has seen Meta’s support in its development. Meta will back the $23 million that will link Mombasa in Kenya to Oman in the Middle East. This cable will span 4,108 kilometers. Also, it will improve internet speed, reliability, and security in Kenya and the wider East African region.
Nokia will provide its 1830 GX platform and ICE7 coherent optics. This will enable the Medusa submarine cable to transmit tens of terabits per second per fiber pair with low latency and high energy efficiency.
Also read: Umoja subsea cable: The First Subsea Cable to Directly Connect Africa with Australia
Project Factsheet
Project name: Medusa Submarine Cable System
Length: Approximately 8,760 km
Countries to be connected by the cable:
- European Countries: Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus (and potentially Greece).
- North African Countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt
Landing points:
The system includes up to 12 landing points, including:
- Portugal: Lisbon (Carcavelos), Sines (Start Campus)
- Spain: Barcelona, Torreguadiaro, Zahara, Alacant
- France: Marseille
- Italy: Mazara del Vallo
- Cyprus: Yeroskipou
- Morocco: Tétouan, Nador, Arekmane
- Tunisia: Bizerte
- Algeria: Algiers, Collo
- Egypt: Port Said
- Libya: Misrata, Benghazi
Key partners and contractors:
- Owner/Developer: AFR-IX telecom
- Construction contracts: Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) and Elettra Tlc.
- Landing frastructure: Orange (in France, Tunisia, Morocco)
- Technology provider: Nokia
Capacity:
- Fiber pairs: 24 fiber pairs
- Capacity per Fiber Pair: 20 Terabits per second (Tbps)
- Total system capacity: 480 Tbps
Estimated total cost: €342 million
Timeline:
- Contract into Force (CIF): Early July 2023
Operational Readiness (Phased):
- First phase (Lisbon, Barcelona, Marseille): Expected operational between end of 2024 and beginning of 2025.
- West Med region: Ready for service end of 2024.
- East Med region: Ready for service first half of 2025.
- Full system completion: Expected to enter service starting in 2026.
Design Life: 25 years
Spanning 8,700-kilometer, the digital interconnection will connect the Atlantic coast, Mediterranean Sea, and Red Sea. It will create a new high-speed digital corridor in the region. The Medusa cable system is expected to have a total capacity of 480 terabits per second, with 20 Tbit/s for each of its 24 fiber pairs.
Cost of the Project
The Medusa submarine cable project boasts a total investment of €342 million. The cable project is partly funded by the European Union. It will connect Cyprus, Greece, France, Portugal, Italy, and Spain to Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt.
This strategic digital bridge aims to close the connectivity gap between Europe and North Africa. Additionally it intends to bring faster and more reliable service to millions of people across the countries while facilitating access to advanced technologies like 5G and AI across the Mediterranean region.
Also read: UK’s Longest-ever Subsea Connection Cleared for Construction
