Meta selects Safaricom as landing partner for high-capacity submarine cable

Under the deal, Safaricom is expected to provide local support for Meta, including offering infrastructure and expertise for the subsea cables entering Kenya. 

Through its subsidiary, Edge Network Services Limited, Meta selected the Kenyan telecommunications provider as a partner for the new high-capacity submarine cable connecting Oman and Kenya. 

Safaricom further stated that the Under-Sea Cable System will be fully funded by Edge Network Services Limited. Locally licensed operators in Kenya and Oman are expected to operate the cable segment within territorial waters and in-country infrastructure.

"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,” Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said on the partnership. 

According to the Mobile Network Operator (MNO), the partnership signifies its "readiness to transition into a fully-fledged tech company in line with our vision 2030 strategy."

In addition, Safaricom said the partnership reinforces its 2030 vision to become Africa's leading technology company by delivering faster, resilient and future-proof connectivity. 

Through the subsea infrastructure, Meta aims to reach five major continents and span over 50,000 km using the highest technology. 

In February 2025, Meta announced its submarine connectivity project dubbed Waterworth, which strives to develop leading connectivity to the U.S., India, Brazil, South Africa, and other key regions.

"This project will enable greater economic cooperation, facilitate digital inclusion, and open opportunities for technological development in these regions," said Meta, a parent company of leading social media sites Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. 

Through the Waterworth project, Meta also seeks to drive AI innovation worldwide and to strengthen the scale and reliability of the world’s digital highways by opening three new oceanic corridors. 

Latest data from TeleGeography's submarine cable map shows that there are 77 cable systems connected to Africa that are currently active or under construction. Kenya is listed among high-capacity routes for the subsea connectivity. 

The TeleGeography data also shows that over half of Africa’s used international bandwidth comes South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria, and Kenya.