Submarine cable networks
Beneath our feet, thousands of meters below the ocean’s surface, 99% of the world’s communications are carried by submarine cables. And as global traffic continues to surge, expected to grow by 28% per year through 2030, these invisible highways must be strengthened and made more resilient to potential outages. The solution is simple in principle: multiply routes so that data can take alternative paths if needed. That’s the idea behind Medusa, a multi-thousand-kilometer submarine cable system connecting nine Mediterranean countries. Several sections will be brought online over time. The first? A link between Marseille and Bizerte, connecting France and Tunisia.
On October 8, 2025, Orange played a key role in the landing of the Medusa cable in Marseille. For this critical step, connecting the cable to the terrestrial network, we provided our technical interconnection expertise. The result: a major milestone for regional connectivity and a real boost for the Mediterranean’s digital ecosystem.
“Landing” refers to the final stage of installing a submarine cable, when it is brought ashore and connected to terrestrial telecommunications infrastructure.
Serving Euro-Mediterranean connectivity
Medusa is an ambitious project stretching more than 8,700 kilometers. That may seem modest compared with the 1.5 million kilometers of submarine cables deployed worldwide. But within the Mediterranean region, it will be the longest cable ever laid.
The project’s ambition is clear: create long-term, high-capacity links between both sides of the Mediterranean, and beyond.Led by AFR-IX Telecom, Medusa will connect ten Mediterranean countries: Morocco, Portugal, Spain, France, Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt. Malta and Libya are expected to join at a later stage.
Marseille marks the starting point for the gradual rollout of this extensive network. Within this framework, Orange is specifically contributing to the “Via Tunisia” initiative, the 1,050-kilometer segment linking Marseille to Bizerte. This section is supported by European Union funding through the Connecting Europe Facility. It gives Orange access to three fiber pairs within the cable, strengthening our connectivity capacity. The Marseille-Bizerte link is expected to be operational in early 2026.
Visit the official Medusa website
Marseille, a global interconnection hub
Marseille was chosen as the city has become Europe’s most strategic digital hub. With Medusa, Marseille now hosts 17 submarine cable landings. That makes it the number one hub in Europe and sixth worldwide, a major crossroads for global data traffic. We bring our full industrial expertise to this ecosystem, providing key landing points in France, as well as in Tunisia and Morocco. In Marseille, our fully redundant urban fiber infrastructure allows operators to connect reliably and securely to every data center in the city.
The result is fast, seamless interconnection with major European hubs such as Paris, London, and Frankfurt, as well as direct links to Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
And it’s not just about technology. We also manage the regulatory, security, and environmental dimensions of the project. In doing so, we continue to strengthen Marseille’s role as a vital global gateway for digital data exchange.
Securing
Europe
Installing Medusa is not just a technological achievement. It is an act of sovereignty. AFR-IX Telecom is strengthening Europe’s ability to control and secure its critical infrastructure without relying on the United States or China. Orange is part of that effort.
Europe’s digital sovereignty has been strengthened further thanks to this landing
Securing
Europe
Europe’s digital sovereignty has been strengthened further thanks to this landing
Installing Medusa is not just a technological achievement. It is an act of sovereignty. AFR-IX Telecom is strengthening Europe’s ability to control and secure its critical infrastructure without relying on the United States or China. Orange is part of that effort.
A measured environmental footprint
At Orange, every new infrastructure project comes with close attention to environmental impact, and Medusa’s landing in Marseille was no exception. To protect fragile ecosystems, including posidonia seagrass meadows and the Calanques National Park, the teams used horizontal directional drilling. This technique allows a cable to pass beneath the shoreline without digging a trench. A small tunnel is drilled from land out to sea, and the cable is pulled through it.
The result: the seabed remains intact and the operation is carried out with minimal environmental disruption.
The cable itself was laid by the Sophie Germain, Orange Marine’s latest-generation cable-laying vessel, on behalf of its subsidiary Elettra Tlc. Designed to reduce its environmental footprint, the ship features a hybrid engine, a particulate filter, and an optimized hull to lower fuel consumption. When docked, all maintenance operations are powered through an onshore electrical connection.
A project that connects, inspires, and remains future-ready
A project that connects, inspires, and remains future-ready The Marseille–Bizerte segment is scheduled to enter service in early 2026. Medusa is already emerging as a foundational project. This submarine cable is far more than an engineering feat. It is a digital bridge between continents, designed to strengthen exchanges and support growth across the Euro-Mediterranean ecosystem. By connecting both shores of the Mediterranean, it enhances global network security, reinforces Europe’s digital sovereignty, and once again confirms Orange’s role as a key player in building the infrastructure of the future.
