The Canary Islands are sometimes the most forgotten in terms of technology and improvements in connectivity. Geographic differences mean that they are sometimes insurmountable to be considered within the large deployments of the main operators, but the solution seems to be in submarine cables, as in this Vodafone initiative.
Framed within the 2Africa project, the largest submarine cable in the world has been installed in Gran Canaria and is a milestone that will improve Internet connectivity in the area.
The largest submarine cable in the world
The longest submarine cable in the world, which when completed in 2024 will be more than 45,000 kilometers, has arrived in the Canary Islands thanks to Vodafone. Specifically, it was on Salinetas beach in Telde (Gran Canaria).
Vodafone and the Canary Islands authorities, through Canalink, have deployed this new extension of the fiber optic cable in the Canary Islands. This arrival of the 2Africa cable allows to significantly increase the capacity, quality and availability of internet connectivity between Africa and the rest of the world.
The red operator has led the installation of this open access cable to the islands, providing valuable additional capacity to meet the demand for global telecommunications services (mobile voice and data, fixed telephony, broadband access, etc.) in the coming decades, and will improve connectivity for users throughout the island.
«The largest submarine cable in the world, with a capacity of 180 terabits per second, arrives today in Telde to continue promoting internet connectivity and the digital inclusion of all citizens and companies in the Canary Islands. “We are delighted to be part of this project that, thanks to public-private collaboration, will allow the digitalization of critical sectors, facilitate the evolution towards advanced 5G services and improve the economic growth of the islands,” he declared. Javier Álvarez, territorial director of Vodafone in the Canary Islands.
New phase of the 2Africa project
This underwater system, designed by the 2Africa consortium to maximize performance and reduce latency, aims to improve the quality, capacity and availability of the Internet infrastructure on the islands. The 2Africa consortium includes 8 international partners: Bayobab, Center3, China Mobile International, Meta, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group and WIOCC.
The cable will be extended to a total of 46 locations in 33 countries until the project’s completion in 2024, with the aim of connecting Africa, Asia and Europe and offering connectivity to 3 billion people (36% of the world’s population).
This is not the first deployment in Spanish territory. The 2África submarine cable arrived in October last year at the Barcelona Cable Landing Station in Sant Adrià de Besós.
