- Nokia partners with AFR‑IX to power the 8,760 km Medusa cable, linking Europe and North Africa with ultra‑fast fibre.
- The open‑access system will fuel 5G, cloud, and AI growth, reshaping digital connectivity between two continents.
What happened: Nokia to drive Medusa cable rollout
Nokia has partnered with AFR‑IX Telecom to power the Medusa Submarine Cable System, a new undersea fibre‑optic network linking Europe and North Africa. The cable stretches approximately 8,760 km, spanning the Atlantic coast, the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, and landing in countries including Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Egypt, as well as European nodes in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Cyprus.
Nokia will deploy its 1830 Global Express GX platform with ICE7 coherent optics, capable of delivering tens of terabits per second per fibre pair while optimising latency and energy use. Designed as an open‑access system, Medusa will offer telecom operators across the region access to high‑capacity connectivity services.
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Why it’s important
Medusa marks a major step in narrowing the digital gap between Europe and North Africa. Its open‑access design gives regional providers a scalable, high‑speed backbone to roll out 5G, cloud services and future AI‑powered tools. As demand for data accelerates, the system’s low‑latency, high‑capacity links will become vital for driving innovation and competitiveness.
It also forms part of a wider wave of subsea cable investment reshaping global connectivity. Alongside projects like Google’s Equiano and Africa‑1, Medusa is building the digital corridors that will enable faster internet, support emerging tech ecosystems and spark new economic opportunities across both continents.
