Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan have joined the fibre revolution

Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan have joined the fibre revolution: Ethio Telecom, Djibouti Telecom, and Sudan’s Sudatel Telecom Group are coming up to create something huge, a multi-terabit terrestrial fibre optic link connecting Africa to Europe and entire Asia.

 As a superhighway for Internet data, bypassing the usual undersea cables. And instead carving out a high-speed land route that links Africa to two of the biggest economic powerhouses in the world.

This link, called Horizon will handle huge amounts of data multiple terabytes per second with ultra-low latency. Translation? Faster Internet, better connectivity, and the bandwidth to power a truly global digital network.  

For one, it positions Africa as a serious player in the global digital economy and technological space. It’s a major step towards fulfilling Africa’s Digital Transformation Strategy 2030, which is all about boosting tech and connectivity across the continent. 

The project has been in progress since June 2024, with the official launch planned for April 2025. But before that, the three telecom giants will wrap up all the legal stuff by January. 

By leveraging their expertise and their strategic positions (Djibouti sits at a literal crossroads between Africa and the Middle East). These companies are creating an alternative to the undersea cables that currently handle most global data traffic. 

The signing of this MoU comes about six months after Sudatel, Ethio Telecom and Djibouti Telecom established a technical team for the implementation of the project. The team conducted an in-depth feasibility study, identified current challenges and made concrete recommendations for the advancement of the project.