The Medusa submarine cable officially landed in Bizerte on Saturday, November 1, 2025. This major project, connecting Europe to Africa through the Mediterranean, marks a milestone in the continent’s digital transformation. Tunisia thus becomes the first African country connected to this next-generation network, the result of cooperation between Medusa Submarine Cable System, Tunisie Telecom, Orange Tunisie, and the European Union.
Tunisia, the first African landing point for the Medusa cable
During the landing ceremony held in Bizerte, Norman Albi, CEO of Medusa Submarine Cable System, praised Tunisia’s role and that of its partners.
“Tunisia is the first Medusa landing point in Africa, and the second in the world after Marseille,” he said. “It is a strong symbol of the Tunisian people’s ability to move projects forward and always be among the first.”
Stretching over 8,700 kilometers, the Medusa cable will ultimately connect twenty landing points between Southern Europe and North Africa.
“The first 1,000 kilometers between Marseille and Bizerte are already installed,” Albi added, announcing service launch for the first quarter of 2026.
He also emphasized the Mediterranean identity of the project:
“Medusa was born in the Mediterranean, designed for the Mediterranean. We are proud to enhance regional connectivity and offer Tunisian citizens the speed and future enabled by this cable.”
A European Project at the Heart of Tunisia’s Digital Transition
For his part, Giuseppe Perrone, the European Union Ambassador to Tunisia, highlighted the EU’s financial and strategic support for this initiative.
“Medusa is a flagship program of digital cooperation between Tunisia and the European Union, funded with €60 million,” he stated.
This project is part of a broader framework:
“We have also invested €20 million to modernize public services and €10 million to support the Tunisian administration in its digital transition.”
The ambassador emphasized that Tunisia plays a “priority and exceptional role” within the Pact for the Mediterranean, recently ratified in Brussels, which aims to strengthen the region’s unity and connectivity.
Medusa: A Strategic Cable for North Africa and Southern Europe
In an exclusive interview with THD.tn in March 2025 in Barcelona, Damien Bertrand, Deputy CEO of Medusa, outlined the technological and geopolitical ambitions of the project.
Designed and operated by Afr-IX Telecom, a Barcelona-based group active in 18 African countries, Medusa will connect 13 Mediterranean nations, including five in North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt) and eight in Southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Greece, Cyprus, and soon Jordan).
Bertrand explained that the Bizerte–Marseille segment, manufactured by Alcatel Submarine Networks, was specifically designed to provide Tunisia with a dedicated pair of optical fibers, rather than a shared capacity as seen in older systems such as Sea-Me-We 4.
“The connectivity needs of North Africa have grown so significantly that they now require entire fiber pairs between Europe and Africa,” he stated.
A Major Technological and Strategic Breakthrough
The Medusa cable features 24 fiber pairs, the maximum currently possible on a submarine cable, with a lifespan of 25 years. This technological choice will enable Tunisia to access unprecedented data speeds — multiplying by 20 to 30 the current capacity of its academic and research network (CCK) — thanks in particular to its integration into the European GÉANT program.
Bertrand also emphasized the strategic importance of redundancy:
“The best protection against failures or attacks is to have multiple cables.”
With Medusa, Tunisia joins the select group of countries with redundant connectivity infrastructure between Africa and Europe, alongside its existing Didon, Hannibal, and Sea-Me-We 4 cables.
A Symbol of Mediterranean Unity
Beyond its technical achievement, Medusa represents a project of regional digital sovereignty. Conceived in Barcelona, supported by the European Union, and operated in partnership with Tunisian telecom operators, it embodies a shared vision: bringing the two shores of the Mediterranean closer together through data and knowledge.
As Norman Albi summed it up:
“This is the first time Medusa connects Africa to Europe — and Europe to Africa.”
A powerful symbol, on the eve of Tunisia’s entry into a new era of global connectivity.
Source: thd
