Meta is teaming up with Safaricom to expand its global internet backbone with a new high-capacity submarine cable connecting Oman and Kenya, a major digital infrastructure project that underscores both companies’ growing footprint in Africa’s connectivity landscape.
The announcement confirms details first reported by Business Daily last month, which revealed that Meta’s infrastructure subsidiary, Edge Network Services, would co-finance and hold a stake in the project with Safaricom as the local driver. Now, in a fresh statement shared with the media, Safaricom confirms it has officially been selected as Meta’s landing partner for the Kenya segment of the cable.
“This deal is a significant strategic milestone for us as we mark 25 years and signals our readiness to transition into a fully-fledged tech company in line with our Vision 2030 strategy,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom. “It positions us to meet the surging demand for high-capacity, low-latency connectivity which is critical for powering economic growth, cloud adoption, and digital innovation,” he added.
According to the company, the undersea cable will be fully funded by Meta’s Edge Network Services, while licensed local operators in Kenya and Oman will handle operation of their respective territorial segments, including related in-country infrastructure.
The deal gives fresh momentum to Kenya’s growing role as a digital gateway for East Africa. With the Communications Authority already having received landing-rights paperwork, the subsea cable now moves closer to deployment, potentially complementing existing systems such as PEACE, EASSy, and the 2Africa cable (which Meta also backs).
For Safaricom, the partnership signals a deeper pivot beyond mobile services into core internet infrastructure and cloud ecosystems, aligning with its 2030 vision to be Africa’s leading purpose-led technology company.
