Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 41 | Page 66

INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Cabling

Telecom Egypt to launch HARP , a new subsea system connecting African countries to Europe

Telecom Egypt , Egypt ’ s first integrated telecom operator and one of the largest subsea cable operators in the region , has announced its plans to launch Hybrid African Ring Path ( HARP ) by 2023 , a new subsea system that will outline the African continent , forming the shape of a harp . It will connect coastal and landlocked African countries to Europe through the company ’ s widespread terrestrial and subsea infrastructure . Through HARP , Telecom Egypt will offer a wide-range of capacity solutions , up to dark fibre , based on a layer two and layer three architecture that can connect multiple points on the system to one another .

The system will connect Africa ’ s east and west bounds to Europe , from South Africa to
Italy and France along the continent ’ s east coast , and to Portugal along its west coast . Highly reliable terrestrial routes will connect the landing points within South Africa , Europe and Egypt , forming a complete ring around the continent . The HARP system will leverage its diverse and resilient subsea segments to branch out to multiple potential landing points .
HARP ’ s planned routes will cross the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt , with multiple ring protection topologies , and will extend to include premium routes on both banks of the Suez Canal . Sharm Elsheikh , located at the southern tip of Sinai , will serve as a new landing point and will be connected to coastal cities on the Gulf of Suez , forming a hybrid terrestrial and subsea fibre connectivity solution between landing points in Egypt .
Adel Hamed , TE ’ s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer , said : “ I am very proud of the upcoming launch of this new system as it will provide seamless connectivity services to the African continent by integrating Telecom Egypt ’ s current and planned projects to offer end-to-end connectivity solutions . HARP will enable Telecom Egypt ’ s plans to establish open points of presence in various new locations in Africa and Europe to serve its enterprise and wholesale customers . It will also support the Digital Transformation efforts exerted throughout African nations and expand the company ’ s international footprint .” p
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