Djibouti | February 4, 2026
Ethio telecom, Djibouti Telecom, and Sudatel Group have today signed a landmark tripartite strategic agreement under the Horizon Fiber Initiative, marking a major milestone in regional digital integration through the deployment of a high-capacity, cross-border multi-terabit optical fiber infrastructure.
The agreement establishes a resilient terrestrial fiber corridor connecting the international submarine cable landing stations in Djibouti, traversing Ethiopia, and extending onward to Sudan’s landing stations. This new route creates a scalable, secure, and diversified regional connectivity pathway linking East Africa to global digital networks.
The Horizon Fiber Initiative is designed to significantly enhance international bandwidth capacity, strengthen network resilience and redundancy, and support the rapidly growing demand for data, cloud services, hyperscale connectivity, digital platforms, and cross-border data flows across the region. It responds directly to Africa’s accelerating digital economy driven by cloud adoption, fintech, e-commerce, AI, content delivery, and enterprise digitalization.
For Ethio telecom, the initiative is a core enabler of its Next Horizon: Digital & Beyond 2028 strategy, reinforcing the company’s ambition to evolve from a national operator into a regional digital connectivity and infrastructure leader. Horizon Fiber strengthens Ethiopia’s position as a strategic digital transit hub, supports international expansion, and underpins advanced digital services including cloud, data centers, enterprise solutions, and cross-border digital trade.
Through this strategic collaboration, the three operators will leverage their complementary infrastructure assets, technical expertise, and operational capabilities to deliver:
- Multi-terabit optical fiber capacity to meet exponential traffic growth
- Carrier-grade, low-latency international connectivity for cloud and hyperscale services
- Diversified and secure cross-border routes that enhance regional resilience
- Improved service reliability for operators, enterprises, content providers, and hyperscalers
Speaking on the occasion, the CEOs of the partnering operators emphasized that the Horizon Fiber Initiative reflects a shared vision of regional cooperation, innovation-driven partnerships, and inclusive digital transformation. The initiative underscores a collective commitment to building a robust communications backbone that accelerates economic growth, enables digital inclusion, and positions the region as a competitive and trusted gateway in the global digital economy.
The collaboration builds on a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Addis Ababa on 3 December 2024, recognizing the strategic importance of establishing a secure alternative international route. Since then, the three operators have jointly developed the technical and commercial frameworks required to operationalize the initiative. The Horizon Fiber Initiative now stands as a tangible outcome of that shared ambition and disciplined execution.
This milestone represents a pioneering Africa-to-Africa connectivity collaboration, linking the Red Sea through three countries and delivering a high-availability terrestrial route. It demonstrates how African operators can jointly address real-world connectivity challenges while laying the foundation for an integrated, future-ready digital infrastructure that supports Africa’s digital growth, regional integration, and long-term economic transformation.
About Ethio telecom
Ethio telecom is Africa’s pioneering, integrated telecom and digital solutions provider, driving the nation’s digital transformation since 1894. With a massive subscriber base of 87.1 million and over 58.61 million telebirr users, we leverage our expansive network of over 10,288 mobile sites to deliver comprehensive digital ecosystems. Guided by our “Next Horizon: Digital & Beyond 2028 Strategy,” our portfolio spans from Basic Connectivity to advanced Enterprise Solutions, Data Centers, Public Cloud, AI, FinTech, and e-commerce. As a regional powerhouse, we are actively expanding our footprint beyond borders to strengthen regional partnerships, exporting our successful digital financial and infrastructure expertise through strategic collaborations to accelerate the “Digital Africa” journey.
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About Djibouti Telecom
The modernity and quality of the telecommunications equipment that the Republic of Djibouti has acquired have given it the status of a regional telecommunications hub. Indeed, this performance places the Djiboutian telecommunications sector at the forefront of African systems, both in terms of its capacity and its interconnection strength. The network’s development has notably fostered the growth of commerce, banking, and, more generally, transport-related services. Today, Djibouti Telecom SA is positioned as a telecommunications hub with the East Africa Submarine System (EASSy), Europe India Gateway (EIG), SEACOM, SEAME-WE3, and Aden-Djibouti submarine cables.
About Sudatel
Sudatel Telecom Group is a Public Joint Stock Company and one of the leading Information and Communication Technology (ICT) providers in the region, serving millions of customers across Sudan and Africa. Since its establishment in 1993, Sudatel has grown from a national operator into a regional leader — recognized as a pioneering example of successful privatization in the telecommunications sector.
Sudatel is publicly listed on the Khartoum Stock Exchange and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), with 43% of its shares traded on ADX, while the Government of Sudan holds 22.6%. The remainder is held by a diverse group of investors — including over 14 regional banks, 80 companies, regional organizations such as Arabsat, and individuals representing 28 nationalities.
Ethio telecom, Djibouti Telecom and Sudatel Group
