Morocco: Inwi joins the Medusa submarine fiber optic cable project
January 30th 2024
The Moroccan telecoms company Inwi announced on Monday January 29 that it had signed a partnership agreement with Medusa Submarine Cable System, a neutral and independent operator of submarine infrastructure in the Mediterranean. The said agreement aims to strengthen the capabilities of the mobile operator by connecting it to the Medusa submarine fiber optic cable which connects Mediterranean countries.
“This partnership with Medusa Submarine Cable System highlights Inwi’s continued commitment to providing innovative and secure solutions to meet the diverse needs of its customers, while contributing to the development of the Moroccan digital ecosystem,” said the two partners. in a joint press release.
Medusa is a system more than 8,700 km long and made up of 24 pairs of fibers for a total capacity of 480 terabits. It was initially planned to connect Morocco, Portugal, Spain, France, Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Egypt. Worth 342 million euros, the infrastructure is financed by AFR-IX Telecom, Orange and the European Union. While work began in July, its commissioning is planned between 2025 and early 2026, with an estimated lifespan of 25 years.
Leveraging the capacity of the Medusa cable is expected to enable Inwi to improve its capabilities to meet the growing demand for high-speed connectivity from its subscribers and the constant increase in traffic. This should also allow the mobile operator to be more competitive and strengthen its position in the Moroccan telecoms market.
According to the observatory of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT), Inwi had 18.53 million mobile telephone subscribers in the third quarter of 2023 (July to September) for a penetration rate of 32.35 %. Its rivals Maroc Telecom and Orange hold respective market shares of 34.78% and 32.87%. In the Internet segment (fixed and mobile), Inwi and Orange control 33.82% market share compared to 66.18% for Maroc telecom.
Source: Agency EcoFin
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