Medusa is a new submarine telecommunications infrastructure linking the two shores of the Mediterranean. With a length of 7,100 km, it will be the longest optical fiber submarine cable in the Mediterranean. The total cost of the project is estimated at 342 million euros.
In this context, the European Investment Bank and the European Commission have sealed an agreement to grant a European Union grant of 40 million euros intended for the co-financing of the trans-Mediterranean digital connectivity megaproject, Medusa. The deployment of the new optical fiber submarine system is ensured by the company AFR-IX Telecom.
Medusa is one of the flagship projects of the new EU program for the Mediterranean, as adopted last year, aimed at strengthening digital connectivity in the southern neighborhood of the European Union.
This EU-backed strategic project will for the first time directly connect nine countries in North Africa and Southern Europe, including Morocco, to support their sustainable and inclusive economic development, via the longest cable system under -giant sailors of the Mediterranean. The system will be partially operational in Europe by the end of 2024 and in the Eastern Mediterranean region in the first half of 2025.
Through this grant, 500 universities, educational institutes and research centers, with a total of 4.5 million students, will be connected through this state-of-the-art, high-capacity fiber optic submarine cable. In the same vein, this system will provide access to a telecommunications infrastructure essential to the development of the digital ecosystem of the populations of the countries concerned.
In addition, it should be noted that the European Investment Bank (EIB) plans to grant 100 million euros, in the form of loans, to co-finance this strategic project, but the operation is still subject to final approval. governing bodies of this European entity.
In the same vein, this co-financing will provide an alternative route for data traffic and allow telecommunications operators in the Old Continent to develop essential partnerships in order to support socio-economic development in the region.
A decisive context
The investment in connectivity under Medusa follows the increase in demand for broadband connectivity, driven since 2020 by the Covid-19 crisis. Data consumption habits have changed. The Ericsson company indicates in its Mobility Report of November 2021 that the Middle East and North Africa region should experience the third highest growth rate of mobile data trac by 2027. The average of the trac data per smartphone should increase from 9.1 gigabits to 41 gigabits per month.
For Ricardo Mourinho Félix, Vice-President of the EIB, digital transformation and high-speed digital connectivity are crucial in the post-pandemic world. This strategic route will significantly improve connectivity between the EU and North African partners.
For his part, Norman Albi, President and CEO of AFR-IX Telecom, believes that the new system will feature “state of the art in fiber optic technologies” and have an “open” cable configuration. , “which can be connected to any type of technology or brand”.
According to the Orange operator associated with the project, “Medusa” is an open system that includes 16 landing points around the Mediterranean Sea. The cable will have segments that will offer up to 24 fiber pairs, and a capacity of 20 terabits per second (Tbps) per fiber pair. Its scalloped architecture gives it a unique design.
