Orange joins the ReuNION submarine cable consortium between Reunion and South Africa
The telecommunications operator is partnering with a consortium to deploy a new submarine link between Reunion and South Africa, presented as a more direct international route and co-financed by the European Union.
The project is part of the group's strategy called Trust the future.
A direct submarine route to South Africa
Orange announced on September 2, 2026 its partnership with a consortium bringing together Telco OI, Réunicable and La Réunion Connectée around the ReuNION submarine cable project. This initiative aims to strengthen Reunion's international connectivity, improve network resilience and reduce latency.
The cable is part of a logic to renew the region's submarine infrastructure, with some systems approaching the end of their operational lifespan. The system is described as equipped with 16 fiber pairs offering a capacity of 20 Tbps each, and is to provide an additional and more direct international route to South Africa.
Orange responsible for landing, European financing mobilized
Within the framework of the consortium, Orange assumes the role of landing party, that is to say the operator responsible for the physical arrival of the cable on the territory and its connection to terrestrial networks. This covers the management of authorizations, civil engineering works at the seaside, the development of the landing station and the interconnection with the island's digital infrastructure.
Orange Marine will be responsible for the cable deployment, while design and manufacturing will be entrusted to Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN). The project benefits from European financial support via the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program and a financing agreement under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Following the signing of agreements between consortium members, the next phases will include detailed marine studies, processing of permit applications, as well as the launch of cable manufacturing and installation.
