(Ecofin Agency) - MTN Côte d'Ivoire has announced that the 2Africa submarine fiber optic cable, managed by Meta, is coming soon to the country. On October 10, 2024, Djibril Ouattara, CEO of MTN Côte d'Ivoire, shared this exciting news with Kalil Konaté, Côte d'Ivoire's Minister of Digital Transition and Digitization. The cable will be installed by Bayobab, MTN’s subsidiary for digital connectivity, and it brings a lot of promise for the country’s internet.

The 2Africa cable will massively increase Côte d’Ivoire’s bandwidth. With a whopping capacity of 180 terabits per second (Tbps), MTN says this cable will offer "unmatched connectivity" and push mobile and fixed broadband to new levels.

This upgrade means faster internet speeds, quicker downloads, and smoother streaming with fewer delays. It also opens up opportunities for exciting new online services like virtual reality, high-speed medical consultations, and cloud gaming. Even current services like video calls and streaming will see a big quality improvement.

Stronger, More Reliable Network

Besides speed, the 2Africa cable will also make Côte d'Ivoire's internet network more resilient. It will back up the country’s existing cables like WACS, ACE, MainOne, Maroc Telecom’s West Africa cable, and SAT3, helping the system stay strong against potential outages.

"The extra capacity from the 2Africa cable will boost our connectivity and add an extra layer of protection. This project will help reduce the risk of large-scale disruptions for our customers," said Djibril Ouattara.

Back in March, damage to several undersea cables caused major service disruptions, affecting millions of telecom users in Côte d'Ivoire. With the 2Africa cable, MTN Côte d'Ivoire expects more stable service, since the cable can take over when other systems experience issues.

The combination of faster speeds and a more reliable network will give users a much better online experience overall. Web pages will load faster, videos will start more quickly, and online activities will be smoother. The enhanced connectivity will also mean a broader range of online content and services for Ivorian users.

MTN Côte d'Ivoire is confident that the 2Africa cable will not only improve its services but also contribute to the economic growth of Côte d'Ivoire. This new infrastructure could help the country tap into the estimated $180 billion Africa’s digital economy is expected to generate by 2025, according to Google and the International Finance Corporation.