The 2Africa system, hit by the war in the Middle East, will be the largest subsea cable network ever built, spanning 45,000 kilometers
In sum – what to know:
Project halted – Work on the Persian Gulf portion of the cable has stopped after the war in the Middle East made operations unsafe.
Shipping risks – Escalating regional tensions and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have forced the cable-laying ship to halt operations.
Key connectivity – The cable aims to boost internet capacity linking Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, expanding mobile and broadband.
Construction on the Middle Eastern segment of the 2Africa submarine cable system has been suspended after escalating conflict in the Persian Gulf made it unsafe for vessels to continue work, delaying completion of a key branch of the global subsea network.
According to a report by Bloomberg, the ship responsible for laying part of the cable is currently docked at a port in Saudi Arabia and cannot proceed with operations along the northern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.
The contractors responsible for deploying the cable have issued a force majeure notice to project stakeholders.
The report also highlighted that the cable route across the Persian Gulf is largely installed, but several landing stations have not yet been connected, leaving a gap in the final stages of deployment.
The disruption comes as tensions in the region intensify. Military strikes involving Israel, the United States and Iran have increased security risks across the Gulf, affecting maritime activity and infrastructure projects.
The situation has been further complicated by Iran’s move to block the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime corridor connecting the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. Several vessels have reportedly been targeted in the area, making it too dangerous for cable-laying ships to operate.
The report also noted that the exact timeline for resuming the subsea cable project remains uncertain.
The 2Africa system is expected to span approximately 45,000 kilometers, making it the largest subsea cable network ever built. The system circles the African continent and connects numerous countries in Africa with networks in Europe and Asia.
The branch currently affected by the disruption runs from the Arabian Sea into the Persian Gulf and is designed to connect markets including India, Pakistan, and several Gulf states.
When the project first landed in South Africa in 2023, its developers said the cable would deliver more capacity than all subsea cables serving Africa at the time combined.
The system is intended to significantly increase international bandwidth and improve network reliability across large parts of Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. It is also expected to support the expansion of mobile and fixed broadband networks, including 4G, 5G, and fiber broadband services.
2Africa was developed by a consortium including Meta, Bayobab (MTN Group), center3 (stc), CMI, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group, and WIOCC, with additional contributions from Bharti Airtel and MainOne on specific segments. The full system—including the Pearls extension scheduled for 2026—extends roughly 45,000 kilometers. Deployment required coordination across 50 jurisdictions over nearly six years, involving local partners for landing sites, construction, and regulatory approvals, according to Meta.
