In a move to bolster internet capacity and improve connectivity between Africa and the Middle East, Meta and Safaricom are planning a new subsea cable connecting Kenya to Oman.
The project, known as the Daraja Fibre Optic Cable, was recently disclosed when Safaricom filed an environmental report with Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority (Nema).
The Daraja cable will span approximately 4,110 km, running from Salalah in Oman to Mombasa in Kenya. While specific details about the cable’s capacity, landing stations, or technical specifications remain undisclosed, Safaricom is leading the project, working in partnership with Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), which will manufacture and lay the cable.
Meta’s affiliate, Edge Network Services Limited, is listed as the investor for the Daraja project, indicating Meta’s growing interest in expanding Africa’s digital infrastructure. The company has developed or invested in over 20 subsea cables globally, often partnering with local telecoms.
Safaricom anticipates the Daraja cable will become operational in 2026, providing much-needed additional bandwidth and enhancing reliability for internet services between Oman and Kenya. It aims to support the continued growth of 4G, 5G, and fixed broadband access for hundreds of thousands of users, facilitating economic development and digital inclusion.
Mombasa is already a major landing point for seven existing and planned cables, while Salalah on Oman’s southern coast hosts five active and upcoming systems. Notably, this new link will complement the existing Meta’s 2Africa Cable, which already connects Salalah and Mombasa as part of its extensive network encircling Africa and extending into the Persian Gulf and India.
Other key landing stations in the region include those operated by Ooredoo and Omantel in Salalah, and Telkom Kenya’s stations for the TEAMS, EASSy, LION2, and Peace cables — highlighting the region’s strategic importance for international connectivity.
Safaricom, established in 1997 and now publicly traded on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, is part of a complex web of ownership and partnerships. While not directly involved in existing submarine cable consortia, its parent companies and partners, including Vodafone and Vodacom, participate in major projects like 2Africa and EASSy. Vodafone also participates in other regional and international cable systems such as the Bay of Bengal Gateway (BBG) and Europe India Gateway (EIG).
This new subsea link signals a significant step in enhancing regional infrastructure, enabling faster, more reliable internet, and supporting the ongoing digital transformation of Kenya and neighboring countries. It also underscores Meta’s strategic investment in Africa’s digital future, complementing its existing cable deployments and regional connectivity initiatives.
