Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), Elettra Tlc, Medusa and Orange have begun construction on the Medusa subsea cable, which will connect North Africa and Southern Europe.
Medusa will establish connections between Morocco, Portugal, Spain, France, Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Egypt.
Construction of the cable will be undertaken by ASN and Elettra Tlc, and is funded by AFR-IX Telecom, Orange and the European Union though CEF (Connecting Europe Facilities) grants.
Medusa will span 8,700 km once complete, with the 24-pair fibre optic cable providing 20Tb/s minimum capacity per fibre pair.
Norman Albi, CEO of Medusa, said, “We have been working for more than three years to reach this point and we are tremendously grateful to all those who, from early stages, supported Medusa: collaborating companies and European institutions. Thanks to the support of North African Operators, financial institutions and leading companies such as ASN, Elettra Tlc, Orange and AFR-IX Telecom, Medusa will be in service the fourth quarter of 2025.”
Paul Gabla, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of ASN added, “The Medusa submarine cable system marks a major step forward in telecommunications infrastructure. ASN is honoured to be at the forefront of this ambitious project, which will bring high-speed Internet connectivity and seamless communication to the region, unlocking a world of opportunities for businesses, communities and individuals throughout the Mediterranean region.”
Elettra Tlc has begun survey operations, while equipment manufacturing and installation are planned across 2024 and 2025.
Didier Dillard, President and CEO of Elettra Tlc said, “We are very happy to be in charge of the marine works for the first phase of the Medusa project, the marine survey and the installation. Elettra Tlc is a true Mediterranean company that has installed and repaired a very large number of cables in this area, and we are excited to contribute to the construction of this future telecommunications backbone of the Mediterranean Sea.”
Orange will provide landing infrastructures in France, Tunisia and Morocco.
“Orange is delighted to put its leadership and industry expertise in the construction of this new system that will foster digital exchanges between Europe and North Africa and to welcome Medusa into its carrier neutral infrastructures in Marseille,” commented Aurélien Vigano, Vice President International Transmission Networks at Orange.
