Transworld Associates (TWA) has announced that it has signed a contract to lay the world’s largest submarine cable system, 2Africa, in Karachi. Already operational in parts of the African continent, this monumental project will enhance Pakistan’s global connectivity and position the country as a key hub for international data networks.
2Africa is one of the world’s most ambitious cable projects, covering a total length of more than 45,000 kilometres and connecting 46 cable landing stations across 33 countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. The consortium behind 2Africa is made up of eight international construction companies: China Mobile International, Bayobab, centre3, Meta, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone and WIOCC.
China Mobile International and Meta are the joint venture for 2Africa Landing in Karachi. The two companies have a contract with Transworld Associates, which owns and operates the landing.
2Africa is designed to have a capacity of up to 180 Tbps across 16 fiber pairs and aims to meet the growing demand for internet and data services around the world. “The 2Africa subsea cable is fully synchronized to host direct connections with global content providers,” said Saad Muzaffar Waraich, president of Transworld Associates. “TWA will lead the development of the essential infrastructure for the carrier-neutral cable landing station and manage the maintenance of the system in the immediate future. This effort is aligned with Pakistan’s vision to become a regional connectivity hub and is expected to help boost the country’s digital economy.”
“In addition, our Tier-3 carrier-neutral data center co-located at our cable landing station will be connected to 2Africa and other submarine cable systems in the near future.”
Ismail Shah, Head of Asia Pacific Connectivity Policy at Meta said, “Pakistan is set to experience increased capacity and ensure more robust and resilient internet services. Meta is pleased to support 2Africa and hopes that this strategic connectivity of the subsea cable system will pave the way for further integration with global markets and facilitate the growth of digital services across the country.”
Following the earlier landing of SMW-5 and TW1 in Pakistan, the landing of the 2Africa cable marks a stepping stone for Transworld Associates in achieving its ambition of becoming the strategic partner of choice for the landing of submarine cable systems at Pakistan’s carrier-neutral and state-of-the-art cable landing station.
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