2023-06-02 11:58:00
(Agence Ecofin) – The demand for broadband connectivity in Africa is expected to continue to grow over the next few years. Operators are strengthening their infrastructures to give themselves the means to respond effectively.
The Moroccan telecommunications group Itissalat Al Maghrib (Maroc Telecom) has invested 150 million euros in the construction of a new fiber optic submarine cable. Called “West Africa”, the infrastructure was presented at Gitex Africa 2023, which is being held in Marrakech from Wednesday May 31 to Friday June 2. It connects the company’s subsidiaries as well as operators in the West African region to the international optical loop in Europe.
The new cable is 9,414 km long and consists of two segments. The Southern segment interconnects Morocco with Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Gabon and Mauritania through 7 landing points on a route of 8,600 km. Commissioned in July 2021, it provides a capacity of 20 Tb/s expandable to 40 Tb/s. The North segment, meanwhile, was commissioned in April 2022. It connects Casablanca to Lisbon (Portugal) with a length of 814 km, with a capacity of 60 Tb/s.
This investment should enable Maroc Telecom to strengthen the capacities of its subsidiaries, which have become a key factor in the group’s growth while the domestic market is subject to strong competition. In the first quarter of 2023, the subsidiaries generated revenue of 4.6 billion dirhams (455 million USD), up 7.3%, compared to 4.7 billion dirhams for its activities in Morocco (up 0.6%). This performance of the subsidiaries in sub-Saharan Africa was notably driven by the growth of mobile data of 27.
According to Maroc Telecom, the West Africa cable “ aims to support the digital transformation of the African continent by offering access to high-speed broadband Internet, and to bring people together by promoting digital isolation ».
Isaac K. Kassouwi
Read also:
04/26/2023 – Subsidiaries in sub-Saharan Africa ensure Maroc Telecom’s revenue growth in the 1st quarter of 2023
08/24/2022 — Maroc Telecom challenges a $232.3 million fine from the regulator for abuse of a dominant position
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