News
Telecom Egypt has announced its plans to launch a new submarine cable to span the outline of the African continent. The Hybrid African Ring Path (HARP) is expected to be ready for service by 2023.
The system will connect coastal and landlocked African countries to Europe using Telecom Egypt’s existing terrestrial and subsea infrastructure. The cable will extend from South Africa to France and Italy on the East Coast, and on the West Coast towards Portugal. The planned route will also cross Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and provide routes on the Suez Canal, landing in Sharm Elsheikh (on the Peninsula’s southern tip) and connecting to other coastal cities on the Gulf of Suez.
Adel Hamed, Telecom Egypt’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer commented: “I am very proud of the upcoming launch of this new system, as it will provide seamless connectivity services to the African continent by integrating Telecom Egypt’s current and planned projects to offer end-to-end connectivity solutions. HARP will enable Telecom Egypt’s plans to establish open points of presence in various new locations in Africa and Europe to serve its enterprise and wholesale customers. It will also support the digital transformation efforts exerted throughout African nations and expand the company’s international footprint.”
Last year, Telecom Egypt announced its involvement in the 2Africa Cable. The project, which is also expected to go live in 2023/4, will follow a similar route to HARP and will form a ring around the African continent. 2Africa is a consortium project with partners including China Mobile International, Facebook, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, stc, Vodafone, and WIOCC.
To keep up to date with the latest cable projects and developments from the EMEA subsea cable industry, join us for Submarine Networks EMEA 2021. The conference will be held in London from 1st to 3rd September.
