Telecom Egypt-consortium inks MoU to construct AAE-2 subsea cable

Updated 6/12/2025 8:41:00 AM

Arab Finance: A consortium of four subsea cable operators, Zain Omantel International (ZOI), PCCW Global, Sparkle, and Telecom Egypt, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop the Asia-Africa-Europe-2 (AAE-2) subsea cable system, according to a press release.

The AAE-2 system is set to establish a next-generation subsea digital link linking Hong Kong and Singapore to Italy, offering secure and high-capacity terrestrial corridors across Thailand, the Arabian Peninsula, and Egypt.

The joint project is said to deliver unprecedented capacity and reinforce seamless and reliable connectivity across the three continents.

This initiative aims to boost global connectivity by delivering a geographically diverse, resilient, and high-performance route for international traffic.

The companies noted that AAE-2 will create a future-proof data highway between Asia, Africa, and Europe by integrating both subsea and terrestrial infrastructure.

Moreover, AAE-2 will introduce unspecified strategic extensions to further key destinations across its route, fostering intercontinental connectivity and meeting the increasing demands of cloud services.

Frederick Chui, CEO of PCCW Global, said: “Following our instrumental role in the success of the AAE-1 system, we are pleased to bring our expertise to AAE-2, an advanced, high-capacity and geographically diverse subsea cable system connecting Asia and Europe.”

Meanwhile, Enrico Bagnasco, CEO of Sparkle, commented: “The AAE-2 cable system is an innovative project perfectly in line with Sparkle’s long-term strategy to strengthen the Asia-Africa-Europe corridor by enhancing route diversity and ensuring the highest levels of network resilience."

Mohamed Nasr, Managing Director and CEO of Telecom Egypt, added: "AAE-2 will also benefit from accessing and cross-connecting with the other subsea cables using our WeConnect ecosystem."