African Undersea Cables

Update April 2024 (Version 55)

African Undersea Cables in 2024 - maybe (Version 55)
African Undersea Cables in 2024 – maybe (Version 55)

Please contact me if you’d like a copy of the map in SVG format.

For a history of African undersea cables, have a look at animated gif history. If you’re interested in seeing how these cables are changing access, Stanford University’s PINGer project is monitoring the impact of Seacom and other east coast cables as they come online. You may also be interested in NSRC‘s map of African Terrestrial Fibre initiatives at afterfibre.nsrc.org. Finally, for a more comprehensive look at undersea cables, check out Telegeography’s Submarine Cable Map.

Undersea Cable Ownership Matrix

African Undersea Cable Investor Matrix

InvestorISOSAT3/SAFESAS-1SEA-ME-WE4TEAMsSeacomI-ME-WEMainOneEASSyGLO1EIGSEASLION2WACSACENCSCSSEA-ME-WE-5AAE-1SACSSAILDAREPEACEMETISSEllaLink
ACE GabonGA✓
Africa Marine Express?✓
AirtelIN✓
Algerie TelecomDZ✓
Angola CablesAO✓
BCS GroupKE✓
Benin ACE GIEBJ✓
Bharti InfotelIN✓✓✓✓
Botswana Telecom (BTC)BW✓
Broadband InfracoZA✓
BSCCL (Bangladesh)BD✓✓
BSNLIN✓
BT GroupUK✓✓✓✓
C&WUK✓✓✓
Cable & Wireless SeychellesSC✓
Cable Consortium of LiberiaLR✓
CamtelCM✓✓
Canal+ TelecomFR✓
Canalink Africa SLSL✓
CAT Telecom TH✓
CEB (Fibernet)Mu✓
China MobileCN✓
China TelecomCN✓
China unicomCN✓✓✓
Comoros CableKM✓
Congo TelecomCG✓
Convergence PartnersZA✓
Cote D'Ivoire TelecomCI✓
CPRMPT✓
CybernetPK✓
Djibouti TelecomDJ✓✓✓✓✓
Dolphin Telecom JLTSN✓
DuAE✓✓
Emtel LtdMu✓✓
ETISALATAE✓✓✓✓✓
France TelecomFR✓✓✓✓
Gambia Submarine CableGM✓
Ghana TelecomGH✓
GibTelecomGI✓
Globacom LimitedNG✓
Global Marine SystemsUK✓
Global TransitMY✓
Golis TelecomSO✓✓
Govt of CameroonCM✓
Govt of KenyaKE✓
Govt of SeychellesSC✓
Herakles TelecomUS✓
Hormund Telecom SomaliaSO✓✓
HTDGCN✓
HyalRouteSG✓
Industrial Promotion ServicesKE✓
International Mauritania TelecomMR✓
IslalinkES✓
JTLKE✓
KDN (Liquid Telecom)KE✓✓
La Guinéenne de Large BandeGN✓
Libya Post &TelecomLY✓
Main Street TechnologiesNG✓✓✓
Maroc TelecomMA✓
Mauritius TelecomMu✓
MCIUS✓
MEOPT✓
MetFoneKH✓
MPTMM✓
MTN GroupZA✓✓✓✓
Nigeria TelecomsNG✓
NitelNG✓
Office Congolais de P&TCD✓
OgeroLB✓
OmantelOM✓✓
OoredooQA✓✓
OPT BeninBJ✓
OPT GabonGA✓
OrangeFR✓✓
Orange CamerounCM✓
Orange Côte d’IvoireCI✓
Orange MadagascarMG✓
Orange MaliML✓
Orange NigerNE✓
OteglobeGR✓
Pakistan Telecom (PTCL)PK✓✓
PCCWHK✓✓
Reliance JioIN✓
Republic of Equatorial GuineaGQ✓
République of CamerounCM✓
RetelitIT✓
SafaricomKE✓
Saudi Telecom Co (STC)SA✓✓✓✓✓✓
SFRFR✓
Shanduka GroupZA✓
Sierra Leone Cable CompanySL✓
SingTelSG✓✓
Somtel GroupSO✓
SonatelSN✓
Sri Lanka TelecomLK✓✓
STP CaboCV✓
SudatelSD✓
Tanzania Telecom (TTCL)TZ✓
Tata CommunicationsIN✓✓✓✓
TCIUS✓
TelebrasBR✓
Telecom EgyptEG✓✓✓
Telecom Italia (Sparkle)IT✓✓
Telecom MalaysiaMY✓✓
Telecom NamibiaNA✓✓
Telesom CompanySO✓
TeleYemenYE✓✓✓
TelinID✓
Telkom KenyaKE✓✓
Telkom South AfricaZA✓✓✓
Telma MadagascarMG✓✓
TelxiusES✓
Togo TelecomTG✓✓
TOTTH✓
TransWorld AssociatesPK✓
Tunisie TelecomTN✓
Turk TelecomTR✓
VenfinZA✓
VerizonUS✓
ViettelVN✓
VNPTVN✓
VodacomZA✓✓
WananchiKE✓✓
WIOCCKE✓
ZEOPRE✓
Q1 2001Q2 2003Q4 2005Q2 2009Q3 2009Q4 2009Q3 2010Q3 2010Q4 2010Q1 2011Q2 2012Q2 2012Q2 2012Q4 2013Q1 2016Q1 2017Q2 2017Q3 2018Q4 2018Q4 2019Q2 2020Q3 2020Q4 2020

Seacom

The Seacom cable is owned by:

  • Industrial Promotion Services (25%), an arm of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (USD 75 million)
  • (Kenya – founded by Prince Karim Aga Khan IV of Pakistan)
    VenFin Limited (25%) – USD 75 million)
  • Herakles Telecom LLC (backed by Blackstone) (25%), New York-based lead company, no website (USD 75 million)
  • Convergence Partners (12,5%) – USD 37.5 million
  • Shanduka Group (12.5%) – USD 37.5 million

EASSy

EASSy is 90% African-owned although that ownership is underwritten by a substantial investment by Development Financial Institutions (DFIs) including World Bank/IFC, EIB, AfDB, AFD, and KfW. Total DFI investment is apparently $70.7 million, with $18.2 million coming from IFC, 14.5 million from AfDB. This is a smaller amount than the originally advertised $120 million investment from DFIs.

South African investors in EASSY include Telkom/Vodacom ($18.9 million) , MTN ($40.3 million),  and Neotel (~$11 million).

WIOCC, an SPV created to facilitate open access is the largest shareholder, with 29%.  WIOCC consortium members include: Botswana Telecommunications Corporation, Dalkom Somalia, Djibouti Telecom, Gilat Satcom Nigeria Ltd., the Government of Seychelles, the Lesotho Telecommunications Authority, ONATEL Burundi, Telkom Kenya Ltd., Telecommunicacões de Mocambique (TDM), U-COM Burundi, Uganda Telecom Ltd., Zantel Tanzania and most recently, TelOne Zimbabwe and Libyan Post, Telecom and Information Technology Company (LPTIC)

Other investors in the system include Bharti Airtel Limited of India,  British Telecommunications, Etisalat of the United Arab Emirates, France Telecom, Mauritius Telecom, Saudi Telecom Company, Comores Telecom, Sudan Telecom Company, Tanzania Telecommunications Company, Telecom Malagasy,  Zambia Telecommunications Company, Zanzibar Telecom.

TEAMs

85 per cent of the cable is owned by TEAMs (Kenya) Ltd and the rest by Etisalaat of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).   The TEAMS (Kenya) Ltd holding breaks down as follows:

  • 32.5% – Safaricom Ltd
  • 23% – Orange Kenya Ltd
  • 20% – Government of Kenya
  • 10% – Liquid Telecom Kenya Ltd
  • 6% – Wananchi Group
  • 5% – Jamii Telecom Ltd
  • 1.8% – Access Kenya Group
  • 1.2% – BCS Group

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Africa at Night image courtesy Wikipedia/NASA