African subsea cable operator Seacom is planning a massive new cable system connecting France to Singapore and South Africa.

The company last week announced plans for Seacom 2.0, a 25,000km (15,534 miles) system that will reportedly feature 48-fiber pairs and 20 landing points across 15 countries.

“Seacom 2.0 is more than a cable, it’s the foundation of a shared AI-driven future,” said Alpheus Mangale, group CEO of Seacom. “This project isn’t just about connecting people; it is about ensuring Africa and its neighbors control their digital destinies. By enabling open access and regional integration, we are creating a system that is resilient, sustainable, and inclusive.” ​

Further details and timelines for delivery were not shared.

Seacom’s route map for the system shows a single branch running from Marseille, France, through the Mediterranean and Red Sea, before branching into two. One branch will run west to Singapore via India and Pakistan, while the other will run south to South Africa before looping back north to West Africa.

The firm said the system would be tailored for high-capacity, low-latency AI workloads, with cable landing stations transformed into “AI communication nodes, seamlessly linking African nations’ sovereign AI infrastructure to global data hubs.”

The original Seacom cable, launched in 2009 in partnership with Tata Communications, runs from Egypt through the Red Sea to Djibouti, before one line branches west to Indian and the other south to South Africa. Seacom says it owns cable landing stations along the east coast of Africa.

Seacom also has capacity on the WACS, TEAMS, EASSy, Main One, Equiano, and Peace cables, and has terrestrial fiber in South Africa and along West Africa from Kenya through Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda.

Investors in Seacom include Industrial Promotion Services (the industrial development arm of African-focused financing firm the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development), South African holding company Remgro, Solcon Capital, and financial services firm Sanlam.