The Meta “2Africa” submarine cable project, which was supposed to connect coastal African nations with Europe and Asia, has faced a major setback due to the ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran. Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), the contractor laying the fiber optic cables for the project, has declared force majeure, saying it can no longer safely carry out work in the Persian Gulf.
The Meta “2Africa” submarine cable project, which was supposed to connect coastal African nations with Europe and Asia, has faced a major setback due to the ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran. Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), the contractor laying the fiber optic cables for the project, has declared force majeure, saying it can no longer safely carry out work in the Persian Gulf.
Although Meta has announced the completion of the main part of the project, it is still working on the Pearls section of the network, which was intended to connect the Persian Gulf states, including Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, as well as Pakistan and India, with the rest of Africa and several European countries. The main part of the submarine cable has already been laid, but has not yet been connected to the shore landing stations.
This is not the first time the 2Africa project has faced disruptions. Late last year, the Red Sea section of the project was already delayed due to Houthi attacks in the region, as well as problems with obtaining permits. As conflicts increase the risk to life and property, fewer people are willing to work in such areas, and those who agree often demand significant additional fees to cover higher risks and more expensive insurance. In addition, this increases the likelihood of damage to already laid submarine cables, as well as the fact that military operations in the region will delay repair work for several months, writes Tom's Hardware.
The 2Africa project is not the only technology infrastructure to suffer from the 2026 war with Iran. Among them are several Amazon Web Services data centers that have been targeted by Iranian drone attacks. In addition, Iran has also threatened technology companies in the Middle East .
