Global telecommunications operator Orange is spearheading a new 20,000-kilometre subsea cable project that will connect Nigeria and nearly 20 other countries across Africa and Europe. The Via Africa cable system represents one of the longest subsea infrastructure projects designed to serve the African continent.
Developed by a consortium led by Orange, the project positions itself among the most extensive submarine cable systems serving Africa. Meta's 2Africa cable remains the world's longest at 45,000 kilometres, but Via Africa will establish critical new routing pathways across the Atlantic Ocean.
Nigeria's Growing Infrastructure Needs
Nigeria currently hosts eight submarine cables, the highest concentration in West Africa, making it a critical hub for the region's internet infrastructure. Despite this extensive connectivity, the country continues to experience persistent fibre cuts, vandalism, and network congestion as data traffic increases nationwide.
The concentration of digital infrastructure in these markets highlights the uneven distribution of connectivity resources across the continent. Africa currently has 77 active or planned subsea cable systems as of 2025, according to TeleGeography data.
Addressing Single Points of Failure
Michaël Trabbia, CEO of Orange Wholesale, emphasized the critical need for diverse routing options during a Thursday interview with TechCabal. The executive highlighted the frequency of cable disruptions affecting global connectivity.
"Every two days somewhere in the world you have a cable cut or failure. You need different routes to make sure that when you have one or two cable cuts, you still have connectivity."
Recent years have seen multiple cable faults along the West African coast simultaneously disrupting internet services across several countries. These outages have affected banking platforms, fintech services, enterprise operations, and international connectivity throughout the region.
Cable Technology and Capacity
Trabbia explained that newer subsea cables offer significantly improved efficiency compared to older systems. The technology advancement means that aging infrastructure contributes less to overall traffic capacity over time.
"One cable lifetime is around 20 to 25 years. Beyond 10 years old, cables become much more minor contributors to overall traffic because the new cables are much more efficient."
Orange has not disclosed the final capacity specifications for Via Africa, but Trabbia confirmed the infrastructure is being designed to accommodate long-term growth in internet demand across Africa.
Landing Points and Partnership Expansion
The system is expected to establish landing points in multiple West African countries including Nigeria, Senegal, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, and Mauritania. Additional landing locations may be added as more consortium members join the project.
Trabbia indicated the project remains open to additional partners, with final landing points and participating countries expected to evolve as more operators join the consortium. The flexible approach allows for expanded coverage as the telecommunications industry recognizes the strategic importance of diverse routing options.
The Via Africa project addresses growing concerns about infrastructure resilience as African countries become increasingly dependent on digital connectivity for economic activities, from mobile financial services to international business operations.