Fiber optic cable in Somalia

Somalia is connected to multiple high-capacity submarine fiber optic cables, including EASSy and 2Africa, linking it to Europe, Asia, and neighboring African countries.

Submarine Cable Systems

Somalia serves as a strategic landing point for several international submarine fiber optic cables due to its long coastline. Key systems include:

• EASSy (Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System): Runs from South Africa to Port Sudan, with landing points in nine countries, including Somalia. It provides a design capacity of over 10 terabits per second and connects East Africa directly to Europe and North America, offering built-in resilience and interconnection with other global networks .
• 2Africa: Somalia is connected to this extensive system with one fiber pair and four wavelengths of 400–600 Gbps each, linking the country to Europe and other African nations, significantly enhancing international connectivity .
• Other systems: Dalkom Somalia also holds capacity on EIG, WACS, SEACOM, SAT3/SAFE, SMW3, and TEAMS, providing redundancy and global reach .

Terrestrial and Cross-Border Links

To extend connectivity inland, Somalia is developing terrestrial fiber optic backbones from coastal landing stations to interior regions and neighboring countries:

• Kenya and Ethiopia: Fiber corridors link Somalia to these countries, enabling secure, high-capacity cross-border data flows .
• Regional integration: These terrestrial links allow local internet traffic to be exchanged via regional Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), reducing latency and operational costs while improving broadband access for businesses and citizens .

Impact and Benefits

• Enhanced resilience: Multiple submarine and terrestrial connections ensure redundancy in case of cable faults.
• Improved internet quality: High-capacity cables reduce reliance on satellite connections, lowering latency and increasing bandwidth.
• Economic and digital growth: Reliable connectivity supports cloud computing, digital commerce, and automated platforms, benefiting small and medium enterprises across Somalia and the region .
• Data infrastructure expansion: Projects include open-access data centers and a 2,000 km domestic fiber backbone connecting the capital to regional hubs and border areas . Somalia's fiber optic network positions the country as a key digital hub in East Africa, linking it efficiently to global and regional internet infrastructure while fostering economic and technological development.