Meta's 2Africa Subsea Cable Faces New Delay as Middle East Conflict Escalates
March 14, 2026
The escalating military conflict in the Middle East has delivered another significant blow to global digital infrastructure development, forcing a pause in the construction of a critical segment of Meta's expansive 2Africa subsea cable. This delay underscores the vulnerability of the physical internet backbone to geopolitical instability, particularly in strategic maritime chokepoints vital for intercontinental data traffic.
According to a report by Bloomberg, Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), the primary contractor for the cable-laying project, has issued force majeure notices to its customers. This action follows a series of U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran and subsequent retaliatory strikes across the region, which have severely disrupted shipping and maritime operations. The core trunk of the massive 45,000-kilometer (28,000-mile) 2Africa cable system was completed in late 2025, but the consortium, led by Meta, has now halted work on a planned extension through the Strait of Hormuz.
This crucial section was slated for launch this year, designed to connect landing stations in Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Pakistan, India, and Saudi Arabia. However, the Strait of Hormuz, bordered by Iran, has become a conflict zone, with Iran effectively closing the passage through drone and missile attacks on shipping. As a direct consequence, ASN's cable installation vessel, the Ile De Batz, remains stranded in the port of Dammam, Saudi Arabia, unable to proceed until hostilities cease.
This setback compounds earlier disruptions for the 2Africa project. Just four months prior, Meta announced delays to the Red Sea portion of the cable due to Houthi attacks on commercial vessels, incidents that also led to anchor damage to other subsea cables. The broadening conflict is having a ripple effect beyond 2Africa, impacting other major projects like the early-stage work on the Sea-Me-We 6 cable system.
The repeated delays highlight a growing challenge for the tech and telecommunications industries: securing the routes for the undersea cables that carry over 95% of international data. As demand for capacity surges, geopolitical risks in key regions are becoming a primary factor in infrastructure planning and deployment timelines, potentially affecting connectivity and digital growth for dozens of nations reliant on these critical links.
Source: datacenterdynamics
