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The Medusa submarine fiber optic cable system, owned by AFR-IX Telecom, has achieved a significant milestone with its first landing at the cable station in Marseille, France. This marks the beginning of the cable’s rollout across the Mediterranean, establishing a crucial connection between Southern Europe and North Africa.
The initial segment will connect Marseille with Bizerte, Tunisia, and Nador, Morocco, with the landings expected between late October and December 2025. The first phase is slated to be operational by early 2026, paving the way for subsequent landings planned throughout the year to expand the system across the region.
The Medusa system will span around 8,700km with 19 landing points, linking 12 countries across North Africa and Southern Europe, including Portugal, Morocco, Spain, France, Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, Malta, Libya, Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt.
The cable system will support up to 24 fibre pairs, each with a capacity of 20 Tbps.
The project also extends beyond the Mediterranean, with planned connections to the Atlantic Ocean via Portugal and the Red Sea through Aqaba, Jordan. Further expansion to Sub-Saharan Africa is planned, with Gabon scheduled to join the network in 2028.
Marseille is a major digital hub in Europe, offering critical infrastructure such as data centres and multiple submarine cable interconnections.
“By bringing Medusa to Marseille, one of Europe’s leading digital hubs, we are laying the foundation for a project that will transform communications between Europe and Africa. Medusa will act as a driver of economic growth for the region and a catalyst for knowledge exchange across the Mediterranean,” said AFR-IX Telecom’s CEO, Norman Albi.
The Medusa project, a private initiative, has attracted substantial public funding due to its strategic importance. The European Union has contributed €38.3 million through its Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program, supporting AFR-IX projects aimed at strengthening Europe-North Africa connectivity.
A notable participant in the Medusa network is Tunisie Telecom, which has signed a strategic partnership to operate a dedicated fibre-optic link between Bizerte and Marseille with a 20 Tbps capacity. The company’s involvement underscores the collaborative nature of the project, which is co-funded by AFR-IX Telecom, Orange, and the European Union.
As the first segment of Medusa approaches operational readiness, the project stands as a landmark development in Mediterranean telecommunications infrastructure, promising to enhance digital connectivity, foster economic integration, and strengthen ties between Europe and Africa over the coming decade.