e& Carrier & Wholesale is preparing to lay the most extensive subsea cable network in UAE, dubbed “2Afria”. The chosen gateway for this significant communications upgrade is Kalba, a tranquil city in the northeastern United Arab Emirates. This strategic choice augments e&’s existing Fujairah cable landing station, diversifying connectivity in the UAE and hopefully boosting network resilience.

The 2Africa consortium of Bayobab, including centre3, China Mobile International, Meta, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group, and WIOCC, is behind the massive 45,000 km submarine cable system, which is currently the largest of its kind worldwide.

Alcatel Submarine Networks is responsible for building and installing the 2Africa cable, which will deliver essential internet capacity and reliability upgrades across substantial swathes of Africa while also addressing growing network demand across the Middle East.

As the UAE designated landing partner for 2Africa, e& will be in charge of the development and construction of the necessary infrastructure for the landing station as well as maintenance over the coming decades.

Nabil Baccouche, e& Group Chief Carrier & Wholesale Officer, explained: “The 2Africa project promises to elevate the overall digital landscape in the region, solidifying the country’s position as one of the region’s premier ICT hubs. e &’s involvement in this transformative project will significantly enhance the Internet user experience in the UAE, enabling the world’s largest content providers and global carriers to deliver cutting edge technology in e& carrier-neutral data center ecosystem, SmartHub”.

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Around 20 subsea cable systems come ashore in the UAE, most of which are already managed by e&. The carrier is, therefore, ideally suited to carry out work on the new cable system, as it already boasts unique technical expertise and a robust existing network.