Skip to content Skip to Search
Skip navigation

UAE’s e& to anchor subsea cable for global connectivity  

By Pramod Kumar
Head, Person, Face e&
2Africa project promises to elevate the overall digital landscape in the region, said Nabil Baccouche, e& group chief carrier and wholesale officer

The 2Africa subsea cable, the world’s largest subsea cable, is to be anchored in the UAE by e& Carrier & Wholesale, a subsidiary of the UAE telco e& (formerly Etisalat).

Kalba in Fujairah will be the gateway for the subsea cable to the emirate, where e& already has an existing cable landing station.

The 2Africa consortium, which includes the Zambian company Bayobab, center3, a subsidiary of the Saudi Telecom Group, China Mobile International, Meta, the holding company for Facebook, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group, and WIOCC, the West Indian Ocean Cable Company, is developing a 45,000km submarine cable system, connecting Europe, Asia, and Africa. 

The cable will deliver internet capacity across substantial parts of Africa and the Middle East.

As the designated landing partner for 2Africa in the UAE, e& will lead the development of the infrastructure for the landing station and will be responsible for maintenance.

“e&’s involvement in this transformative project will significantly enhance the Internet user experience in the UAE,” said Nabil Baccouche, group chief carrier and wholesale officer at e&.

Around 20 subsea cable systems land in the UAE, most of which are managed by e&.

The international network run by e& Carrier & Wholesale links 160 global carriers, with its international mobile network reaching more than 800 destinations.

The company has a footprint across 16 countries and two regional offices in Europe and Asia to offer mobile, data, voice, and satellite services to mobile operators and carriers.

Latest articles

Students from several universities take part in a protest against the detention of Istanbul mayor Ekram İmamoğlu

Protests in Turkey predicted to worsen fall in industrial activity

Industrial activity in Turkey fell for a fourth straight month to a two-year low in March, hit by fewer export orders and cooling domestic demand, central bank data shows. The decline is likely to be exacerbated by political unrest and financial fallout from the arrest last week of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekram İmamoğlu, a […]

Nomu, which means 'growth' in Arabic, has become a platform for small and medium sized companies to scale up

Junior Saudi market considers easing investor requirements

Saudi Arabia’s Capital Markets Authority has proposed reforms to broaden the investor base of the kingdom’s junior stock market in an attempt to increase liquidity. The changes relax the requirements to register as a “qualified investor” on Nomu, the parallel alternative to the Tadawul, and extend this designation to board and committee members of listed […]

Tesla Saudi Arabia

Tesla to launch in Saudi Arabia next month

Tesla is due to launch in Saudi Arabia on April 10, with a special event at the Bujairi Terrace in Riyadh to show off its products, including its autonomous driving Cybercab and Optimus, its humanoid robot.   Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company is currently facing slowing sales and rising competition from cheaper Chinese rivals in key […]

A worker fills a tank at a petrol station in Riyadh. The rise of renewable energy and electric vehicles are having an impact on oil demand

Oil’s share of energy demand dips below 30% for first time

Oil’s share of the global energy mix has hit a historic low, dipping below 30 percent of demand for the first time as renewables and electric vehicles reshape markets, according to the International Energy Agency. The IEA’s Global Energy Review 2025 reveals that energy demand rose by 2.2 percent last year, outpacing the average yearly […]

Stalls in Bahrain's Manama Souq. Bahrain’s manufacturing sector is likely to bear the brunt of the new tax

Bahrain approves environmental tax on companies

Bahrain is to become the first country in the Arabian Gulf to introduce an environmental tax on companies as the island state struggles to rein in a growing budget deficit and bring government finances under control. The government of the region’s smallest nation by population has approved in principle a levy on carbon dioxide emissions […]

Oman's oil exports grew steeply after the Duqm refinery opened but non-oil exports fell

Oman’s exports rise after Duqm refinery comes online

Oman’s exports grew last year as a result of a sharp increase in oil refining production after the Duqm Refinery became operational, official figures show. Export of refined products almost trebled last year after the start-up of the $9 billion Duqm Refinery, a joint venture between the Omani government-owned OQ and Kuwait Petroleum International, a […]

The MT Sounion being towed through Egypt's Suez Canal earlier this month after it was attacked in the Red Sea. Suez Canal revenues have dropped from $2.4bn to $1bn

Egypt’s deficit stretched by high imports and regional tension

Egypt’s current account deficit more than doubled in the first quarter of the current fiscal year and the gap is expected to widen further, a Kuwaiti bank says. Key factors for the massive deficit include a surge in imports and lower Suez Canal revenues due to regional tensions, National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) said in […]

Turkey Wealth Fund owns almost half of Turkish Airlines

UAE banks back Turkey Wealth Fund’s $1.2bn loan

State-backed Turkey Wealth Fund has secured its first loan without a treasury guarantee, backed by UAE-listed banks, a local newspaper reported. The sovereign fund raised €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion) two-year syndicated loan from 20 banks from 12 countries, Daily Sabah reported. The interest rate was set at Euro interbank offered rate, plus 2 percent annually for […]

London-headquartered Ardonagh will use the fresh funds for potential acquisitions

Adia-backed London insurer seeks funds for growth

Ardonagh Group, a British insurance group backed by the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia), is reportedly close to raising $2.5 billion to fund its expansion. The London-based company will also use the funds for potential acquisitions, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed sources. In December 2024, Adia and US private equity Stone Point Capital announced an investment in […]

aramco blue hydrogen

Aramco buys 50% of local blue hydrogen producer

Saudi Aramco has purchased a 50 percent stake in a low-carbon hydrogen production plant in Jubail, a city on the Gulf, owned by a unit of the Saudi Arabia-based company Air Products Qudra (APQ). The stake buyout will enable Blue Hydrogen Industrial Gases Company (BHIG), a wholly owned subsidiary of APQ, to provide blue hydrogen […]

Agility acquired Menzies Aviation in 2022, which has operations in more than 65 countries

ADX-listed Agility targets $130m dividend payout

Logistics company Agility Global has proposed a final dividend of $65 million for 2024, taking the total payout to $130 million, reflecting a healthy growth in earnings last year. The company paid a $65 million dividend in December 2024, with a further $65 million set to be approved at the upcoming general assembly for approval, […]

Masdar said it "has no current plans to go public", adding it did not comment on "market speculation"

Masdar weighs IPO on Abu Dhabi stock exchange

Abu Dhabi’s state-owned renewables company Masdar is in the early stages of considering an initial public offering (IPO), three people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The company is considering a possible listing in Abu Dhabi to raise funding for renewable projects, said two of the sources, with one of them saying a dual […]