While I didn't see (Europe India Gateway (EIG)), the cable Gibtelecom is invested in, within this article, I thought this was interesting given what Stakeholder Communism said about supplying internet to poorer countries (so that everyone can be tracked/controlled). #JUSTCOMMUNISM
Excerpts:
EU-backed 'Medusa' project, due to be fully operational by 2026, would be first cable linking Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt
North Africa has long been a backwater in the Mediterranean submarine cable sector, with no single cable providing internet connection to all of the countries along the sea's southern shoreline.
But this is set to change with the imminent launch of a new cable - known as Medusa - linking southern Europe with North Africa and potentially onwards through Egypt to Asia.
While at one end of North Africa is a major cable hub for traffic between Europe and Asia, and Morocco at the other end is well connected to Europe and West Africa, the three countries in between - Algeria, Tunisia and Libya - are largely dependent on connections to ageing cables that lack capacity to handle increased bandwidth.
The project is also ambitious because of the geopolitical, diplomatic and economic obstacles it aims to overcome.
“The Southern Mediterranean, having been quiet for a long time in the submarine cable sector, was suddenly lit up three years ago [by the announcement of the Medusa cable]. EU funding has definitely played a part in that,” said Julian Rawle, a US-based submarine fibre-optic cable consultant.
The EU’s $320 billion Global Gateway strategy, launched in 2021 to compete with China's Belt and Road Initiative, seeks to bolster digital connectivity projects in partner countries and in “the strategic interests of the EU”, with North Africa a particular focus due to its geographical proximity.
“What the Medusa cable will do is support 5G roll-out going forward, which may have been difficult if additional internet capacity was not there.”