2Africa submarine cable lands in Genoa, Italy
The 2Africa consortium has announced that the 2Africa submarine cable has made its first landing, in Genoa, Italy. Upon completion in 2024, the 45,000-km submarine network is expected to be the longest in the world, connecting 46 locations in Africa, Europe, and Asia.
China Mobile International, Meta, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, stc, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone and WIOCC announced plans for 2Africa in May 2020 (see “2Africa submarine cable to connect 23 countries in Europe, Africa, Middle East" and "Consortium announces four new branches for 2Africa submarine cable system"). Vodafone, as the 2Africa landing party in Genoa, arranged to land the cable directly into the Equinix Carrier Neutral Data Center (CNDC) in the city; Retelit provided the fronthaul. A local Italian operator the consortium didn’t identify has developed a new terrestrial fiber route to connect the Genoa cable landing station directly to major CNDCs in Milan.
Alcatel Submarine Networks, part of Nokia, is overseeing the submarine network deployment. Once completed, 2Africa is expected to deliver connectivity to approximately 3 billion people.
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
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