The Medusa Submarine Cable System reached a major milestone this week with its first landing on the French coast at Marseille. Representatives from GÉANT, AFR-IX Telecom, ASREN, the European Investment Bank (EIB), and French authorities joined the event, marking the start of an ambitious 8,700 km (5,405 mile) subsea system linking Southern Europe and North Africa. The full network is expected to become operational by the end of 2026.
Medusa will feature 19 landing points spanning Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Egypt. Designed as an open, carrier-neutral system, the cable is engineered for 20 Tbps per fiber pair, with segments configured for up to 24 fiber pairs. The system includes state-of-the-art optical amplifiers and branching units enabling direct interconnection between European research and education networks, cloud providers, and African national backbones. Its architecture ensures redundancy for pan-Mediterranean traffic while reducing latency between Africa and Europe by up to 30%.
AFR-IX Telecom leads the Medusa project, backed by the European Commission’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and supported through the ATMED–DG and ATMED Nador–DG initiatives. GÉANT, Europe’s leading research and education network, contributes to the system through the EUMEDplus project, which will integrate Medusa into the pan-European research backbone. The involvement of the EIB underscores Europe’s strategic commitment to fostering digital and academic connectivity between continents.
“Medusa is more than infrastructure—it’s a bridge for scientific collaboration and socio-economic growth across the Mediterranean,” said GÉANT in a statement.
🌐 Analysis:
Medusa represents the most ambitious Mediterranean subsea build since the SEA-ME-WE systems. Its inclusion of research and education networks through GÉANT and ASREN will significantly enhance data-intensive scientific collaboration across Europe and North Africa. With Marseille now emerging as a critical landing hub—joining cables like AAE-1, PEACE, and BlueMed—the city strengthens its role as Europe’s southern digital gateway. The 8,700 km design also complements new terrestrial corridors under the EU’s Global Gateway initiative, giving the region a resilient data route independent of Atlantic or Red Sea chokepoints.
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