(Ecofin Agency) - 2Africa is the fourth international subsea cable Madagascar is being connected to. Up to now, the country was connected to the EASSY (Eastern Africa Submarine System), LION (Lower Indian Ocean Network), and METISS (MEltingpoT Indianoceanic Submarine System) systems.

Malagasy operator Telma, a subsidiary of Pan-African conglomerate Axian, recently connected Madagascar to subsea cable 2Africa, in partnership with British group Vodafone. Once commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2023, the infrastructure which landed in Majunga, in the Northeastern region, will boost Telma's national capacities and help meet the growing need for online services.

2Africa is 45,000 km long. It has a capacity of 180 terabytes per second that should help bridge Africa's digital divide by supporting the growth of 4G and 5G and helping provide fixed broadband access to hundreds of millions of people, including those not yet connected to telecom services.

2Africa's landing in Madagascar is the plan to gradually roll out the infrastructure for its commissioning in 2024. The infrastructure has already landed in France, Spain, Egypt, and South Africa. In the coming months, it will land at about forty sites, half of which are located in Africa.

The 2Africa cable will strengthen Telma's national telecom infrastructure in particular, and that of Madagascar in general. Once commissioned, it will support the other international submarine cable systems to which Madagascar is connected, namely: EASSY (Eastern Africa Submarine System), LION (Lower Indian Ocean Network), and METISS (MEltingpoT Indianoceanic Submarine System). This will improve the coverage and quality of telecom services in the country. According to the latest figures from the Communication Technology Regulatory Authority (ARTEC), only 46.38% of the population has access to mobile services.

"2Africa’s seamless connectivity will be a game-changer for numerous economic sectors by allowing access to the highest-speed internet network. Beyond the business scope, we aim to offer every Malagasy the opportunity and means to become a citizen of the digital world," says Patrick Pisal Hamida, CEO of Telma Madagascar.

In the release announcing the landing, AXIAN indicated that a study by RTI International predicts that 2Africa will have an economic impact of US$26.2 billion to US$36.9 billion, equivalent to 0.42% to 0.58% of Africa's gross domestic product (GDP), within two to three years of commissioning.

Isaac K. Kassouwi