Nokia To Bridge North Africa-Europe Digital Divide With Undersea Cable

A new digital highway is taking shape beneath the Mediterranean Sea, one that will physically connect North Africa to Europe with high-speed fibre optic cables and help close the digital divide between the two continents.

Called the Medusa Submarine Cable System, it spans 8,760 kilometres along the seafloor and is one of the most ambitious connectivity projects ever launched in the region. It will link countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt with Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, and potentially Greece. At the centre of this cross-continental effort is Nokia, providing the core technology to make it possible.

The effort comes as demand for cloud services, artificial intelligence, and 5G expands rapidly across both Africa and Europe.

Backed by an investment of EUR 342 M, with partial EUR 40 M funding from the European Union, Medusa is built to bring fast, reliable, and affordable connectivity to regions where internet access has historically been slow, expensive, or unreliable.

Nokia will equip the system with its 1830 Global Express platform and ICE7 coherent optics, enabling each of Medusa’s 24 fibre pairs to deliver 20 terabits per second. This brings the total system capacity to a staggering 480 terabits per second, supporting everything from high-performance mobile networks to large-scale cloud computing.

The network is also designed as an open-access cable, allowing regional telecom providers to tap into the system and deliver advanced data services. It is set to support the rollout of next-generation technologies, including AI-driven platforms and cloud-based systems, while meeting growing bandwidth demands with energy-efficient performance and low latency.

The project is owned and led by AFR-IX Telecom. Alcatel Submarine Networks and Elettra Tlc are handling the cable construction, while Orange is managing the landing infrastructure in France, Tunisia, and Morocco.

“Medusa is laying the groundwork for a more connected and inclusive digital future,” said Miguel Angel Acero, Chief Technology Officer and founder of Medusa. “With Nokia’s subsea optical solution, we’re delivering fast, reliable, and scalable connectivity at lower costs.”

A Strategic Asset for North Africa

Beyond just being a technological upgrade. Medusa is a strategic asset in an era where global internet infrastructure is increasingly seen as both a critical resource and a potential vulnerability.

Africa’s digital economy is growing rapidly. From 2020 to 2024, the continent saw the highest global increase in international internet bandwidth, with a compound annual growth rate of 41%, according to TeleGeography. Yet significant gaps remain. World Bank data shows that fewer than half of Africans have internet access, and many of those who do face limitations due to infrastructure shortfalls or cost barriers.

This makes projects like Medusa essential, not only to connect people, but to unlock economic opportunities, drive innovation, and expand digital inclusion. It also strengthens Europe and Africa’s resilience in a world where undersea cables are increasingly under threat.

Submarine cables carry 99% of intercontinental data traffic. In March 2024, undersea cables in the Red Sea were deliberately severed, disrupting a quarter of the internet flow between Asia, Europe, and East Africa. These incidents have underscored the need for secure, redundant, and strategically placed infrastructure like Medusa.

This system represents a digital insurance policy safeguard for the growing interdependence between Africa and Europe, and a foundation for long-term connectivity and stability.

A Global Race for Subsea Dominance

Medusa is part of a larger wave of global subsea infrastructure development. Nokia is also powering the Surge network, a major cable project connecting Singapore and Indonesia, which aims to provide affordable broadband to more than 40 million people. Meanwhile, Meta has announced Project Waterworth, which will become the world’s longest subsea cable, connecting the United States with India, Brazil, South Africa, and other key markets to support the company’s platforms and AI ambitions.

As global demand for data is growing at an unprecedented speed, without the infrastructure to carry it, progress will slow. Digital transformation, innovation, and economic development all hinge on access.

“Connectivity is now foundational to economic growth, education, innovation—everything,” said John Harrington, Nokia’s Senior Vice President of Network Infrastructure. “We’re proud to help bridge this digital divide and support the future of an AI-powered world.”