Medusa Submarine Cable Linking Europe to Sub-Saharan Africa Begins Deployment
By Solomon Ekanem, Business Insider Africa
October 13, 2025
The €342 million Medusa submarine cable project, designed to strengthen digital connectivity between Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, has officially entered its deployment phase
A €342 million ($395 million) submarine cable project known as Medusa has officially entered its deployment phase, marking a significant milestone for Africa’s digital connectivity ambitions.
The project, led by Barcelona-based telecom infrastructure company AFR-IX Telecom, is designed to create a new data corridor between Europe, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa, dramatically enhancing cross-continental internet capacity.
The first section of the cable landed in Marseille, France, on Wednesday, October 8, by project partner Orange Group. This milestone marks the beginning of an 8,700-kilometre-long system that will connect Southern Europe with multiple North African countries before expanding southwards into Sub-Saharan Africa.
“By bringing Medusa to Marseille, one of Europe’s leading digital hubs, we are laying the foundation for a project that will transform communications between Europe and Africa,” said Norman Albi, CEO of AFR-IX Telecom and Medusa.
“Medusa will act as a driver of economic growth for the region and a catalyst for knowledge exchange across the Mediterranean.”
Deployment and expansion
According to AFR-IX Telecom, the initial segment of the Medusa cable will connect Marseille to Bizerte in Tunisia and Nador in Morocco, with landings scheduled between October and December 2025.
The 8,700-kilometer digital interconnection will link the Atlantic coast, Mediterranean Sea, and Red Sea, forming a new high-speed data corridor that enhances connectivity between Europe and Africa.
Designed with a total capacity of 480 terabits per second (20 terabits per second for each of its 24 fiber pairs) the system represents one of the most powerful submarine networks in the region.
Backed by a €342 million investment, partly financed by the European Union, Medusa will connect major European nations such as Cyprus, Greece, France, Portugal, Italy, and Spain with key North African countries including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt.
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