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Mauritian telco in talks for new undersea cable with Reliance Jio and Orange to link Africa, Indian Ocean, Asia. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

In a bid to revolutionise regional connectivity, Mauritius Telecom, the forefront telecommunications provider in the nation, is actively engaging in discussions with industry giants like Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. and Orange SA. Their aim? To forge a undersea cable network linking Africa, the Indian Ocean islands, and Asia 

This initiative aims to improve redundancy in a region often affected by cable breakdowns. The proposed cable, T4, will replace the aging South Africa Far East cable, which is expected to reach the end of its operational life in 2027. According to Kapil Reesaul, CEO of Mauritius Telecom Ltd. based in Port Louis, T4 is projected to have a capacity 1,000 times greater than the existing SAFE cable.

T4 cable enhances regional connectivity

Reesaul highlighted the importance of securing connectivity to the far east, especially following recent cable disruptions in the region. A recent incident in Mauritius underscored the vulnerability of the island nation to such disruptions. The new undersea cable project aims to mitigate these risks and ensure reliable connectivity between Mauritius, India, and Singapore.

The proposed T4 cable will approximately follow the path of the existing SAFE cable, spanning about 13,500 kilometers from South Africa through Madagascar, La Reunion, Mauritius, to India, and Singapore. Mauritius Telecom has already invested US$60mn in the T3 cable to South Africa and is also connected via the LION/LION2-EASSY-EIG cable on the northern route. Reesaul stressed the importance of establishing redundancy towards the far east to future-proof the network, especially with India and Singapore potentially becoming major connectivity hubs.

Several other operators, including Telkom SA, Telekom Malaysia Bhd, Cable & Wireless Ltd. of Seychelles, and potentially China Telecom Corp., are expected to join the consortium for the T4 project. Reesaul estimated the project’s cost to be between US$150mn to US$200mn, with a timeline of at least two years for completion. Leading the T4 initiative aligns with Mauritius Telecom’s ambition to expand its operations and become a regional telecommunications provider.

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