A consortium of four submarine cable operators – PCCW Global, Sparkle, Telecom Egypt and Zain Omantel International (ZOI) – has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate in the construction of the Asia-Africa-Europe-2 (AAE-2) submarine cable system, which will connect Hong Kong, Singapore and Italy, across a terrestrial corridor across Thailand, the Arabian Peninsula and Egypt, according to a press release.
AAE-2 also features strategic expansions to additional key destinations across the route, further enhancing intercontinental connectivity and supporting the growing demand for cloud services, content distribution and digital transformation initiatives across the region. The initiative aims to revolutionize global connectivity by providing geographically diverse, resilient and high-performance international transport routes. AAE-2 will create a future-proof data highway between Asia, Africa, and Europe by integrating both subsea and terrestrial infrastructure.
Building on the legacy of the AAE-1 cable, the AAE-2 incorporates cutting-edge innovations to provide unprecedented bandwidth capacity.
“Following our key role in the success of the AAE-1 system, we are pleased to lend our expertise to AAE-2, an advanced, high-capacity, geographically diverse submarine cable system connecting Asia and Europe,” said Frédéric Chui, Chief Executive Officer of PCCW Global.
“In recent years, we have strengthened our commitment to reliable global connectivity by investing in new subsea systems and installing advanced landing hubs along this strategic route. Among our key initiatives are the Blue & Raman submarine cable system, which connects Italy and India in an innovative route, and the Sicilian hub in Palermo. This includes strengthening our hub in Chania and building a brand new scalable landing platform in Genoa. With AAE-2, we are taking another step forward, contributing to the creation of a unique infrastructure that combines terrestrial and subsea solutions.” said Enrico Bagnasco, Chief Executive Officer.
“Over the years, we have established significant investments and partnerships to develop state-of-the-art submarine cable infrastructure, which we are witnessing today. The construction of the AAE-2 cable system is a continuation of our success story as a global data connectivity provider. AAE-2 will also benefit from accessing and interconnecting other submarine cables using our WeConnect ecosystem,” said Mohamed, Managing Director and CEO of Telecom Egypt. Nasr said.
“This partnership is a decisive milestone for ZOI. As the international gateway for the Middle East, we are uniquely positioned at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe, enabling us to strategically enable next-generation connectivity. AAE-2 reflects our long-term vision to connect the continent and its digital ecosystem through resilient, cutting-edge infrastructure,” said Sohail Kadir, CEO of ZOI.
