The Medusa subsea cable system is set to be extended to Guinea.

The company and the Republic of Guinea this week announced the signing of a construction and maintenance agreement to land the cable in Conakry.

Guilab SA will be the landing party in Guinea. Timelines for the project weren’t shared.

“With the Medusa Submarine Cable System continuing to expand, we are bringing enhanced intercontinental connectivity deeper into West Africa,” said Damien Bertrand, COO of Medusa. “This extension strengthens the link between the Atlantic and Mediterranean corridors, helping to address growing capacity demands while improving network diversity and resilience. Our agreement with Guilab marks an important milestone in delivering high-capacity, reliable international connectivity to Guinea.”

First announced in 2022, the system has landed in France, Tunisia, and Morocco. Due to go live this year, more landings are planned throughout 2026.

Once fully deployed, the 8,700km (5,405 miles) system will span 19 landing sites across Europe and North Africa. The system will feature segments with up to 24 fiber pairs, each offering a capacity of 20Tbps.

Owned by AFR-IX Telecom, Medusa is set to run from the Carcavelos area of Lisbon in Portugal through the Mediterranean to Port Said, Egypt, and Aqaba, Jordan. Landing points are set to include Spain, Sicily, Greece, Algeria, and Libya. An expansion to Syria is also planned.

An extension down the West African coast is also planned. AFR-IX Telecom secured €14.3m ($15.6m) in funds from the EU to expand the cable to West Africa last year.

AFR-IX has previously signed a deal with ACE to land the Medusa cable in Port-Gentil, Gabon, and the company has mentioned a planned landing point in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Medusa will be the second cable to land in Guinea after the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE), which launched in 2012. ACE lands in the West African country’s capital, Conakry.

“By equipping Guinea with a second submarine cable, we are making a strategic choice. We choose to secure our connectivity, strengthen our resilience, and above all, create the conditions for the rise of our digital economy,” said Mourana Soumah, Minister of Communication, Digital Economy and Innovation.

La Guinéenne de la Large Bande (aka Guilab SA) was set up in 2011 to manage Guinea’s capacity on the ACE cable. The company is majority owned by the Guinean government, alongside Orange and a number of minority investors.