Project 2Africa Meta, the world's longest open-access cable system, has encountered another geopolitical challenge. This time, it's in the Persian Gulf. The project has been suspended.
According to Bloomberg, cited by TechSpot, Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), the company responsible for laying parts of the system, declared force majeure (a contractual provision that relieves a party of liability if an extraordinary, unforeseen event beyond its control makes it impossible to fulfill its obligations) and informed customers that it could no longer safely operate in the region.
Delay in entering the site 2Africa Pearls, which was supposed to connect the Gulf states, Pakistan and India with the wider 2Africa network, is effectively halting work in its final stages.
According to available data, most of the cable has already been laid in the Persian Gulf, but it still needs to be connected to onshore stations before it can be put into operation. Bloomberg reports that the cable-laying vessel ASN Île de Batz is currently moored in Saudi Arabia and is unable to complete its work.
In November, Meta announced that the 2Africa project's core infrastructure had been completed. The company called it the world's longest open-access submarine cable system. The network currently spans 33 countries in Africa, Europe, and Asia and is designed to serve approximately 3 billion people. The Pearls expansion was scheduled for completion in 2026, increasing the total network length to approximately 45,000 km—longer than the equator.
The Pearls section is more than just a minor addition. When the project was announced in 2021, Meta and Telecom Egypt stated they would expand the system to Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Pakistan, India, and Saudi Arabia. Essentially, this section will transform 2Africa from an Africa-focused project into a broader Africa-Europe-Asia connection.
In early 2025, Meta announced the project WaterworthThis multi-billion dollar underwater infrastructure initiative is expected to span over 50,000 km, span five continents, and utilize 24 pairs of fiber-optic cables, allowing Meta to bypass several of today's most dangerous chokepoints while taking direct control of much of its global infrastructure.
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Source: 3dnews.ru
