Marking a significant milestone in global connectivity, stc has announced that the 2Africa Pearls submarine cable system has successfully landed in Bahrain. Backed by USD 205 million in investments, the 2Africa Pearls landing reinforces the Kingdom’s position as a powerful ICT hub, consequently accelerating digital transformation across connected countries, attracting significant international investment opportunities, creating jobs, and boosting innovation across sectors.
The live landing of 2Africa Pearls, the world’s longest submarine cable, next to Seef District, was witnessed by H.E. Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, and Eng. Khalid Al Osaimi, Chief Executive Officer, stc Bahrain. The landing operation, which involved connecting the on-board cable to the ground infrastructure, was completed in record time.
On this occasion, H.E. Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, expressed pride in Bahrain’s advanced telecommunications infrastructure, noting that this achievement reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to strengthening its position as a regional and global digital hub, in line with the goals of Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030. He emphasized the Ministry’s dedication to fostering fruitful partnerships with the private sector, especially the strategic collaboration with stc Bahrain, which stands as a successful model of public-private synergy in advancing digital transformation.
The landing of the 2Africa Pearls submarine cable in Bahrain represents a qualitative leap that will enhance the Kingdom’s global connectivity, support its digital economy, and open new horizons for innovation and investment.
Eng. Khalid Al Osaimi, Chief Executive Officer of stc Bahrain, said, “We are thrilled to land the 2Africa Pearls submarine cable to Bahrain. This will increase Bahrain’s current connectivity capacity by 10x, further scalable to accommodate future growth. This is in line with our commitment to advancing Bahrain’s position as a leading communications and digital hub for the region, directly aligning with Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030, and its goals for the ICT sector to create a diversified, knowledge-based economy.”
Spanning 45,000 km, with a massive 180-Tbps design capacity, the 2Africa submarine cable will enable faster adoption of new technologies and digital solutions.
2Africa Pearls is the only cable in the GCC capable of meeting the growing demands of data-heavy applications, including content streaming, cloud computing, and gaming.
The landing of the 2Africa Pearls submarine cable brings high-capacity, low-latency connectivity that will drive innovation in 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), and Internet of Things (IoT), boost business efficiency and global access, and enhance digital experiences for consumers.
