Major East African Telcos Forge Terrestrial Fiber Corridor to Boost Digital Connectivity
February 11, 2026
In a significant move to bolster digital infrastructure and regional integration, three leading telecommunications operators from the Horn of Africa have signed a landmark agreement to construct a major cross-border fiber network. The partnership between Ethio Telecom, Djibouti Telecom, and Sudatel Group aims to address the critical need for resilient and high-capacity terrestrial connectivity, a cornerstone for economic growth and digital transformation across East Africa. The strategic agreement, signed last week at an event in Djibouti under the banner of the Horizon Fiber Initiative, commits the carriers to building a new terrestrial fiber corridor. This network will link key international submarine cable landing stations in Djibouti through Ethiopia and onward to Port Sudan in Sudan. The project builds upon a Memorandum of Understanding the trio signed in December 2024, which recognized the strategic imperative of establishing a secure alternative international route for data traffic. The initiative is designed to provide multi-terabit optical fiber capacity, creating a carrier-grade, low-latency backbone essential for supporting cloud services, hyperscale connectivity, and surging cross-border data flows. Djibouti City is a pivotal hub, hosting landing points for major cables like 2Africa and SEA-ME-WE-6, while Port Sudan connects several cables to the Middle East and Europe. The new terrestrial link will enhance network resilience and redundancy for these vital international gateways. "The Horizon Fiber initiative lays the foundation for a future-ready digital backbone that connects countries, supports economic growth, and positions the region as a reliable gateway within the global digital ecosystem," said Frehiwot Tamru, CEO of Ethio Telecom. Magdi M. Abdalla Taha, CEO of Sudatel Group, added, "The Horizon project opens a new chapter in the development and integration of telecommunications infrastructure in our region, with a common goal of progress and shared prosperity. It demonstrates our ability to build strategic infrastructure together, strengthen our digital sovereignty, and affirm our role on the global stage." For the region's enterprises, content providers, and hyperscale cloud operators, the project promises improved service reliability and access to diversified, secure routes. By reducing dependency on a single path and increasing international bandwidth capacity, the corridor is expected to catalyze further digital investment and service development across East Africa.
Source: datacenterdynamics
