AAE-2 Subsea Cable Consortium: Advancing Asia–Africa–Europe Connectivity

This IDC Market Note highlights the launch of the AAE-2 cable, an intercontinental subsea and terrestrial infrastructure project led by PCCW Global, Sparkle, Telecom Egypt, and ZOI. AAE-2 will connect Hong Kong and Singapore to Italy via Thailand, the Arabian Peninsula, and Egypt, enabling high-capacity, low-latency, and resilient connectivity across three continents. As the successor to AAE-1, the system is designed to meet the surging demands of cloud services, content delivery, and AI-driven applications by combining advanced subsea technologies with diverse terrestrial routes. The project reflects a wider industry shift toward regional collaboration, digital infrastructure sovereignty, and scalable, next-generation networks."The AAE-2 consortium marks a shift in global connectivity strategy, moving beyond capacity to emphasize resilience, regional enablement, and strategic control. By integrating subsea and terrestrial networks, this initiative addresses both current traffic demands and the foundational needs of tomorrow's digital ecosystems." —Jawairia Asif, senior research analyst (META Telecom and IoT)