Over the last three years, Facebook has invested heavily in infrastructure and connectivity initiatives that aim to affordably connect people in Africa and create tangible social-economic benefits. These efforts are part of a complex solution that require all stakeholders – including mobile operators, infrastructure providers and governments – to work together for the common good. One of such investments is the 2Africa subsea cables. In this interview, Facebook’s Director, Network Investments for Emerging Markets, Ibrahima Ba, speaks about the initiative. Oluchi Chibuzor brings the excerpts:
What is the 2Africa project all about?
2Africa is one of the largest subsea cable projects in the world now running close to 40,000km long, connecting Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and many countries in Africa. It will provide internet capacity and reliability across much of the Middle East and Africa supporting the growth of 4G, 5G, and fixed broadband access for hundreds of millions of people and businesses.
What makes the project unique, and how can it help African countries compete better with the rest of the world in terms of internet access?
2Africa is the first cable system designed to serve the whole of Africa, interconnecting the east and west seaboards of Africa. It will also enable interconnectivity between 19 African countries, supporting Pan-African digital integration. The cable further supports the continent by expanding connectivity to the Middle East. The 2Africa cable will provide significant capacity by implementing a new technology, SDM1 from ASN, allowing deployment of up to 16 fibre pairs instead of the 8 fibre pairs supported by older technologies, bringing much greater and more cost-effective capacity. It benefits includes connecting people to improve lives and economies: Investing in submarine cables brings more people online to a faster internet.
The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted and reinforced the importance of everyone being connected to benefit from having access to critical information such as health care, education and the ability to work remotely, communicate with family, friends, business and government. We have seen firsthand the positive impact that increased connectivity has on communities. We know that economies flourish when there is widely accessible internet for businesses. Currently, Africa is the least connected continent with under 30 per cent of its 1.3 billion people connected to the Internet. In terms of innovation, we continue to work with our partners on driving innovation on all aspects of performance and efficiency. Together, we build cables that are designed with an open, flexible architecture, making it easier to upgrade the cable equipment to meet future capacity needs. 2Africa is a perfect example of our innovative partnership model where everyone benefits through developing scale infrastructure and shared technology expertise that lead the industry in routes, capacity and flexibility
How will the technology from the 2Africa project improve access to the internet across the continent?
2Africa will not only be an important element for advancing connectivity infrastructure across the African continent, it is also a major investment that comes at a critical time for economic recovery. With more and more people relying on the internet, subsea cables are a vital ingredient to ensure they always are connected to what matters. While Facebook invests in submarine cables to provide better experiences for people using our products, our investments drive a more cost-effective internet for all.
Why is Facebook partnering with the 2Africa project?
Access to the Internet is increasingly important throughout the world as a means for people to communicate, learn, work, trade and participate fully in everyday life. People use the internet to access content and services that can be provided from anywhere in the world, allowing connections between friends, strangers, businesses and customers that were unimaginable a generation ago. These connections are achieved through an interconnected web of networks that enable information to be exchanged between a shopkeeper in Kinshasa, a supplier in Seoul and a customer in Maputo. The infrastructure required to provide this connectivity is relatively scarce in Sub-Saharan Africa compared to other regions of the world. This reflects the difficulty of making a return on investment in places where incomes are low, and where people may be unaware of the benefits the Internet could bring them and may not have the skills to use online services. This lack of availability of infrastructure creates its own barrier to people getting online, and is compounded by issues related to affordability, relevance and readiness of people to get online. In response, as Facebook we’ve launched a range of connectivity initiatives aimed at tackling these barriers, by providing investments that can make infrastructure easier and cheaper to deploy. We believe that connecting more people is good for industries and companies of all kinds (including Facebook).
Since the 2Africa project was launched last year, what has been achieved so far?
The majority of the subsea route survey activity, involving ocean floor mapping to determine the length of the planned route to optimise the installation of the cable, is now complete. Marine surveys for the new sections of the cable are also scheduled for completion by the end of 2021. One of 2Africa’s key segments, the Egypt terrestrial crossing that interconnects landing sites on the Red and the Mediterranean Seas via two new and completely diverse terrestrial routes, has also been completed ahead of schedule. Currently working for a cable completion date in 2023/early 2024, we are continuing to add a number of milestones to the subsea cable build, this includes: New branches for the 2Africa subsea cable system, the branches will extend 2Africa’s connectivity to southeast Nigeria, the Seychelles, the Comoros Islands and Angola, and. The new branches join the recently announced extension to the Canary Islands. Also, Cable manufacturing, ASN has begun the manufacturing process for the cable and repeater units in its factories in Calais and Greenwich, in preparation for the deployment of the cable’s first segments in early 2022. Egypt terrestrial crossing already completed, one of 2Africa’s key segments, the Egypt terrestrial crossing that interconnects landing sites on the Red and the Mediterranean Seas via two new and completely diverse terrestrial routes, has been completed ahead of schedule. Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) has been selected to implement the new branches, which will increase the number of 2Africa landings to 31 in 25 countries.
Who will own/manage the 2Africa landing stations?
2Africa cable landing stations will be owned and managed by 2Africa parties or, where necessary, by experienced local partners managed by one of the 2Africa parties.
How will Facebook ensure the security of data in subsea cables especially when it leaves the landing port?
It is important to note that the 2Africa system is not owned by Facebook. Facebook is an investor – one of seven parties and two key suppliers involved, all with focused roles. What brings us together is the desire to build greater connectivity and deliver increased internet speeds for much of Africa.
How will Facebook handle government requests for data traveling through this cable?
When we receive requests from any governments around the world, we review each one carefully. Our process for responding to these requests is the same in Africa as it is around the world, and we are transparent about the action we take in response to government requests.
With the penetration of the 2Africa subsea cables across Africa, will the price of data be reduced, making data more affordable for Africans?
In the countries where the 2Africa cable lands, service providers will be able to access capacity at carrier-neutral data centers and open-access cable landing stations on a fair and equitable basis. This will support healthy internet ecosystem development enabling needed accessibility whilst supporting the growth of 4G, 5G, and fixed broadband access for hundreds of millions of people. Ultimately, local pricing will be set by operators.
What impact will the 2Africa subsea cables have in the countries where there are landing stations?
In countries where the 2Africa cable will land, service providers will obtain capacity at carrier-neutral data centres or open access landing stations, on a fair and equitable basis. This will support healthy internet ecosystem development by facilitating greatly improved accessibility for businesses and consumers alike.
When does Facebook expect the subsea cable system to be completed?
We are currently working for a cable completion date in 2023 / early 2024.
How will COVID-19 affect the deployment of the 2Africa project?
We will continue to monitor and review any potential impact this could cause, and will take appropriate action to comply with guidance and good practice in dealing with the consequences of COVID-19.
