Technology-Driven Cable Market Cycles
The submarine telecom market experiences pronounced cycles that closely follow technological advances, as illustrated by a 1987‑2025 analysis of cable length deployments. New technologies—such as the 1990s shift to optical fiber and the introduction of Erbium‑Doped Fiber Amplifiers—drastically lower cost per bit, trigger fresh applications, and then create a waiting period for the next breakthrough, causing market depressions. The data show cycle swings exceeding a tenfold difference between peaks and troughs, with the 1990s peak reaching roughly 50,000 km of cable laid per year. This virtuous‑yet‑oscillating loop defines the industry’s reputation for volatility.
Integrated Digital Connectivity Drives Africa’s Growth
Analysts estimate a $2.9 trillion digital opportunity in Africa over the next five years, positioning the continent as the world’s fastest‑growing bandwidth market. Internet usage has climbed to roughly 40 % of the 1.5 billion population, though it remains well below the 66 %...
The Carrier Guide to 2026: Traffic, Tech and Trends
The 2026 Carrier Guide highlights three dominant trends shaping telecom operators: heightened demand for redundancy and resiliency, pervasive AI integration, and the emergence of quantum‑grade security. Traffic volumes continue to climb, forcing carriers to publish granular network maps that prove...
Hawaiian Telcom Selects IT for Kunoa North Cable
Hawaiian Telcom has contracted IT International Telecom to design, supply, and install the Kunoa North inter‑island subsea fiber‑optic cable system, slated for completion in 2028. The $87 million project, financed with a $37 million NTIA grant and $50 million from Hawaiian Telcom, will...
Digital Realty Expands to Lisbon for Subsea Data Centre
Digital Realty announced the acquisition of a data centre in Lisbon, marking its entry into Portugal and expanding its Southern European presence. The facility, capable of supporting up to 2.4 MW of IT load, sits adjacent to the Carcavelos subsea cable...
Nouadhibou EllaLink Cable Station 46% Complete
Mauritania’s Nouadhibou EllaLink landing station has reached 46 % construction completion, with marine burial, beach chamber, and terrestrial works advancing rapidly. The project, inaugurated by President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani in July, is slated for full completion by the end...
WFN Strategies Marks 25 Years in Subsea Cables
WFN Strategies celebrated its 25th anniversary, marking a quarter‑century of independent project management, engineering oversight, and client representation for the global submarine cable industry. The firm’s proprietary PM 2.0® methodology blends technical execution with governance, risk management, financial controls, and ISO‑certified...
Google Invests $500M in Dominican Republic Digital Port
Google announced a $500 million investment to build a 7,000 sqm international digital exchange hub in the Dominican Republic, complemented by a new submarine cable system linking the island directly to South Carolina and Virginia. The infrastructure will triple the nation’s direct...
TAT-8, First Fiber-Optic Transatlantic Cable Recovered
Engineers have lifted the historic TAT-8 cable, the first fiber‑optic transatlantic link, from the ocean floor. Deployed in 1988, the 6,000‑kilometer system connected the United States, United Kingdom and France at roughly 280 Mbps using 1.3‑micrometer single‑mode fiber. The recovery, led...
Orange Marine Orders Two Cable Laying Vessels
Norwegian shipbuilder VARD has received an order from France’s Orange Marine for two additional cable‑laying and repair vessels based on the VARD 9‑03 design. The ships will be constructed at Colombo Dockyard in Sri Lanka and follow the same specifications as...
Canalink Plans El Hierro Submarine Cable
Canalink, the public telecom operator of Tenerife, has applied for permits to land a submarine fibre‑optic cable on El Hierro, extending its Base 6 network that will link Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma over roughly 328 km. The cable is designed to deliver...
ADB, Prima Limited Sign Vanuatu Cable Deal
The Asian Development Bank and Vanuatu‑based Prima Limited have sealed a financing package to design, build and install the 411‑kilometre Tamtam submarine cable linking Port Vila with Lifou, New Caledonia. The deal, ADB’s first under its Wayfinder Program, combines a...
Sparkle Launches GreenMed Subsea Cable System
Sparkle announced GreenMed, a next‑generation subsea cable linking Europe and the Middle East via the Adriatic Sea. Designed by Alcatel Submarine Networks and installed by Elettra Tlc, the system will integrate with Sparkle’s backbone to provide low‑latency, resilient routes. The...
Ooredoo Launches OFN to Scale AI, Cloud & Subsea Networks
Ooredoo Group has created Ooredoo Fibre Networks (OFN), an independent entity to own and scale its submarine cable and high‑capacity fibre assets. Khalid Hassan Al‑Hamadi was appointed CEO, effective 15 February 2026, with the carve‑out slated for completion by 2027. OFN...
WorldLink: $700M UAE-Iraq-Turkey Data Cable Plan
The Iraqi‑UAE consortium announced WorldLink, a $700 million subsea‑and‑terrestrial data cable that will run from the United Arab Emirates to Turkey via Iraq’s Faw peninsula. The privately funded project will be deployed in phases over a five‑year period, offering an alternative...
AVX Networks Awarded $37.5M Catalina Broadband Grant
California’s Public Utilities Commission awarded AVX Networks a $37.5 million grant to deploy submarine fiber‑optic cable linking Catalina Island to Huntington Beach. The funding will enable high‑speed broadband for more than 3,500 island residents, bolstering telehealth, remote education, and local businesses....
Google Unveils America-India Connect Network
Google announced the America‑India Connect, a multi‑continent infrastructure program built around a five‑year $15 billion AI investment in India. The plan creates a new subsea gateway in Visakhapatnam and adds three submarine cables linking India with Singapore, South Africa and Australia,...
Du & Datawave SING Subsea Cable Enhances UAE Hub
du and Datawave Networks have partnered to land the Singapore‑India‑Gulf (SING) subsea fibre‑optic cable at du’s Kalba landing station in the UAE. The system will connect six points across the Gulf, India, Malaysia and Singapore, delivering high‑capacity, low‑latency East‑West bandwidth....
