Page 69 - SAMENA Trends - May-June 2023

ARTICLE SAMENA TRENDS

ARTICLE

CMI Invests to Drive the Development of the Digital

Economy in MEA

by February 2023. When 2Africa goes live The 45,000-km 2Africa
in 2024, it will deliver more than the total
combined capacity of all subsea cables submarine cable is an
currently serving Africa, with a design ambitious project to
capacity of up to 180 Terabits per second
5G networks will account for nearly a fifth (Tbps). interconnect Africa, Europe
of mobile connections in the Middle East (eastward via Egypt) and
and Africa (MEA) by 2025, and almost half The only Chinese company investing in the Asia (via Saudi Arabia).
of connections in the Gulf Cooperation project, CMI is committed to the further
Council (GCC) states, according to the growth of 4G in MEA and the continued roll- It was announced by CMI
GSMA. With the backing of China Mobile, out of 5G and fixed broadband services. and other partners in May
China Mobile International (CMI) remains Its mission is to help bring connectivity
committed to the region, providing global to underserved and rural areas across 2020, with 26 out of a total
network resources and integrated solutions the region while enhancing network of 46 landings completed
to help carriers and businesses tap into the resilience and global connectivity to benefit by February 2023. When
opportunities that 5G will bring. businesses and individuals throughout
MEA. 2Africa goes live in 2024,
Enhancing connections between MEA and it will deliver more than the
the world As a gateway to international connectivity,
As one of the industry leaders, CMI is the 2Africa cable will also help to total combined capacity of
connecting the world and driving global drive the upgrade and expansion of all subsea cables currently
adoption of 5G. Its extensive global telecommunications networks in the
infrastructure supports customers in MEA region. It will offer customers seamless serving Africa, with a
with reliable, scalable and resilient network links between Africa and Europe, further design capacity of up to
resources. interconnecting with CMI’s SEA-ME-WE 5 180 Terabits per second
(SMW-5) and Asia-Africa-Europe 1 (AAE-
The 45,000-km 2Africa submarine cable is 1) subsea cable resources to extend (Tbps).
an ambitious project to interconnect Africa, connectivity to Asia. This will support
Europe (eastward via Egypt) and Asia (via the development of a thriving internet 2Africa is an important milestone in CMI’s
Saudi Arabia). It was announced by CMI ecosystem, especially for underserved global development strategy. Offering
and other partners in May 2020, with 26 communities across Africa. ample capacity and faster transmission
out of a total of 46 landings completed will allow CMI to help the nations of MEA to
further develop their digital economy today
2Africa cable will also help to drive the upgrade and and in the future.
expansion of telecommunications networks in the region.
It will offer customers seamless links between Africa and Expanding regional infrastructure to serve
MEA
Europe, further interconnecting with CMI’s SEA-ME-WE 5 CMI continues to enhance regional

(SMW-5) and Asia-Africa-Europe 1 (AAE-1) subsea cable telecom infrastructure in MEA by investing
in network resources and expanding its
resources to extend connectivity to Asia. This will support footprint to better serve local customers
the development of a thriving internet ecosystem, especially and support business development. CMI
currently has 80 submarine and terrestrial
for underserved communities across Africa. cables that provide total network capacity

69 MAY-JUNE 2023