07 June 2023

Orange Tunisia and Medusa Submarine Cable System, a neutral and independent operator of submarine infrastructure in the Mediterranean, have signed an agreement to deploy a submarine cable linking Tunisia (Bizerte) to Europe, through France (Marseilles).

This cable will be built in compliance with the latest international standards and rules and will benefit all socio-economic actors in Tunisia.

Designed using the latest submarine optical fibre technologies, it will also offer a new very high-speed connectivity solution and will also improve the security of existing internet connectivity.

Medusa will be the first and longest submarine cable to connect all countries in the Mediterranean. The system will connect the two shores of the Mediterranean and will leave from Lisbon to end its journey in the Egyptian city of Port Said, passing through various Mediterranean countries. It will have 16 landing points in different countries including Portugal, Morocco, Spain, Algeria, France, Tunisia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt.

More than 8,000km long, this new infrastructure will provide diversity and an additional route of several pairs of fibres with a capacity of 20Tb each, in order to meet Tunisia’s growing connectivity needs. Commissioning is scheduled for the end of 2025.

“We are particularly pleased that Bizerte is hosting this new submarine cable, a strategic and ambitious project for Orange Tunisia, carried out with our partner Medusa. It will eventually allow better accessibility to the world of the internet, for a digital that is more inclusive and focused on the fundamental needs of the Tunisian population and economy,” said Thierry Millet, CEO of Orange Tunisia.

“We are very proud to conclude this agreement with Orange Tunisia which will link the Medusa submarine cable to Bizerte and transform the northernmost region of the African continent into a new gateway to Africa. From the start of this great project, we committed to making Bizerte a major landfall, convinced that Orange Tunisia will develop this new infrastructure and promote its strategic location for the interconnection of Tunisia and, beyond, from the continent. This new step demonstrates our commitment at Medusa to drive and encourage the long-term development of essential infrastructure in this region of the continent,” said Norman Albi, managing director of Medusa.