Vodafone links Crete to the 2Africa subsea cable system

The largest subsea cable system in the world, 2Africa, has arrived at Vodafone Greece’s cable landing station at Tympaki, in the southern part of Crete.

Improved internet access and capacity

The advanced fibre optic cable used in the project, with a capacity of up to 180 terabits per second, is a significant innovation and will provide faster and more reliable internet services for telecom customers in Greece, bolstering the nation’s digital economy.

Vast scope of the 2Africa system

Launched in March 2020, the 2Africa project aims to significantly improve the capacity, quality, and availability of internet connectivity between Africa and the rest of the world. 2Africa is the first subsea cable system to offer continuous capacity around the African continent. Once completed, the network will connect 33 countries across three continents: Africa, Europe and Asia.

The 2Africa consortium includes eight international partners: Bayobab, Center3, China Mobile International, Meta, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group, and WIOCC. Alcatel Submarine Networks is responsible for the construction and installation of the 45,000-kilometre-long cable system. Vodafone is the cable’s landing partner in Crete.

Global connectivity

Today, 99.5% of the world’s international data traffic is carried through thousands of miles of subsea cables. Vodafone is one of the largest investors in this critical network infrastructure. Vodafone has capacity on 80 subsea cable systems, reaching 100 countries – more than 1 million kilometres of cable on the seabed in total helping to keep our customers connected at all times.

Last year, we also connected Crete to the India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) cable system from the Tympaki landing station. The IEX system connects Mumbai to Europe and extends east to Singapore through the India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) system.

Want To Know More?

Learn about the history of subsea cables and their importance to today’s international data traffic in our subsea cable explainer video.

Read about how Vodafone previously connected the UK, Portugal, the Canary Islands, South Africa and Mozambique to the 2Africa subsea cable system.

Visit our subsea cables page for more information and news.