Bahrain plugs into global data highway via 2Africa Pearls Cable

14/07/2025 06:35 AST

Saudi telecom group stc has announced that the 2Africa cable system - Pearls, the world's longest submarine cable, has successfully landed in Bahrain. This massive $205 million lift up in global connectivity toward Bahrain will reinforce the kingdom as a powerful ICT hub.

Marking a significant milestone in global connectivity, Saudi telecom group stc has announced that the 2Africa cable system - Pearls, the world's longest submarine cable, has successfully landed in Bahrain.

With a $205 million investments in 2Africa Pearls submarine cable system, this massive lift up in international connectivity toward Bahrain will reinforce the kingdom as a powerful ICT hub, speeding up digital transformation across connected countries, attracting significant international investment opportunities, creating jobs and boosting innovation across sectors.

The live landing of 2Africa Pearls submarine cable system next to Seef District was witnessed by Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications and Telecommunications and Eng. Khalid Al Osaimi, Chief Executive Officer, stc Bahrain.

Spanning 45,000 km with a massive 180 terabits per second design capacity, the 2Africa submarine cable will enable faster adoption of new technologies and digital solutions.

It is the only cable in GCC capable of meeting the growing demands of data-heavy applications, including content streaming, cloud computing, and gaming, it stated.

The landing operation, which involved connecting the on-board cable to the ground infrastructure, was completed in record time.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, said 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.

Dr. Shaikh, expressing pride in Bahrain's advanced telecommunications infrastructure, stated that his ministry remained fully dedicated 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, he added.

stc Bahrain CEO Engineer Khalid Al Osaimi said: "We are thrilled to land the 2Africa Pearls submarine cable in the kingdom. 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," he added.

With the landing of 2Africa Pearls submarine cable system, the cable's massive capacity and low latency will serve as a catalyst for innovation and growth in emerging technologies like 5G, AI, and IoT, providing the essential infrastructure needed to support data-intensive applications and services.

stc said the increased connectivity will empower businesses with improved communication, access to global markets, and enhanced operational efficiency.

Moreover, for consumers, this transformative project will provide reliable internet services and richer digital experience, it added.

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