Excellence, Trust and Integrity at Heart of Integrated Digital Communications in Africa

By Chris Wood
Jan 18, 2026

According to analysts(1), over the next five years there is a $2.9 trillion digital opportunity in Africa, which is the world’s fastest-growing bandwidth market and home to more than 1.5 billion(2) people (nearly ⅕ of the world’s population) – an estimated 60%(3) of whom are under 25 years old.

Fueled by significant investment in physical and virtual digital infrastructure, technology diversification and rising demand for connectivity and digital services, Africa’s digitisation is progressing at speed.

Internet use throughout the continent is expanding quickly across regions and income levels, with approximately 40% of Africans now online – up from less than 30% just a few years ago, but still well below the global average of 66%.

The manner in which people, businesses and governments connect and operate is being transformed by a huge increase in connectivity and digitisation initiatives, driving ever more data consumption.

1) The Cloud and Africa’s USD$ 2.9 Trillion Digital Opportunity, Cenerva, September 2025

2) Worlddata.info

3) Worldometer, 2025

ADDITIONAL CONNECTIVITY

All of this additional connectivity is being delivered through more undersea cable systems landing on the continent, terrestrial fibre expansion and satellite network deployment, the growth of data centres (DCs), Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) and cloud infrastructure, the emergence of new technologies, the enhancement of mobile networks and activities addressing affordability and policy issues.

EXPANSION OF UNDERSEA CABLE OFFERING AND SECTOR CREDIBILITY

Subsea cable systems are a key enabler to making the latest digital products and services accessible to businesses and individuals in Africa, increasing data usage and enhancing digital economies.

The recent entry into service of the ultra-high capacity 2Africa and Equiano subsea cable systems has more than trebled the continent’s digital capacity, with recent announcements about Google’s Umoja and Meta’s Waterworth cables indicating that there is still more to come.

This new wave of submarine cables is dramatically increasing international capacity and route diversity between Africa and key hubs in Europe, Asia and the Americas. It is also facilitating faster broadband speeds, reduced costs, enhanced service reliability and the delivery of better mobile connectivity across the continent.

Read the full article from issue 146 of the SubTel Forum Magazine