Stc, a Middle Eastern provider of telecommunications and digital connectivity infrastructure, has successfully landed the 2Africa Pearls cable in Bahrain. 2Africa Pearls is a part of the 2Africa cable system, which will be the world’s longest subsea cable system when completed, spanning over 45,000 kilometers connecting Asia to Africa and Europe through the Middle East.
This is the third major cable landing in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in recent weeks along with the SEA-ME-WE 6 cable that landed in two places in Egypt, and the Oman Emirates Gateway (OEG) submarine cable that will enhance connectivity between the UAE and Sultanate of Oman.
In a press release, stc said, “2Africa Pearls is the only cable in GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) capable of meeting the growing demands of data-heavy applications, including content streaming, cloud computing, and gaming,” and that “the cable’s massive capacity and low latency will serve as a catalyst for innovation and growth in emerging technologies like 5G, AI, and IoT, providing the essential infrastructure needed to support data-intensive applications and services.”
The live landing of 2Africa Pearls next to Seef District, was witnessed by H.E. Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, and Eng. Khalid Al Osaimi, Chief Executive Officer, stc Bahrain.
Commenting on the landing, Eng. Khalid Al Osaimi (CEO, stc Bahrain) said, “We are thrilled to land the 2Africa Pearls submarine cable to Bahrain, this will increase Bahrain’s current connectivity capacity by 10x, further scalable to accommodate future growth. This is in line with our commitment to advancing Bahrain’s position as a leading communications and digital hub for the region, directly aligning with Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030, and its goals for the ICT sector to create a diversified, knowledge-based economy.”
The 2Africa cable system is led by a consortium of Bayobab, center3, China Mobile International, Meta, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group, and WIOCC, while Alcatel Submarine Networks is responsible for manufacturing and installation of the cable.