Ethio Telecom, Djibouti Telecom, and Sudatel Group have today signed a landmark tripartite strategic agreement under the Horizon Fibre Initiative, marking a major milestone in regional digital integration through the deployment of a high-capacity, cross-border, multi-terabit optical fibre infrastructure.

The agreement establishes a resilient terrestrial fibre 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 Fibre Initiative is designed to significantly enhance international bandwidth capacity, strengthen network resilience and redundancy, and support rapidly growing demand for data, cloud services, hyperscale connectivity, digital platforms, and cross-border data flows. It directly responds to Africa’s accelerating digital economy, driven by cloud adoption, fintech, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, content delivery, and enterprise digitalisation.

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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 Fibre strengthens Ethiopia’s position as a strategic digital transit hub, supports international expansion, and underpins advanced digital services, including cloud, data centres, 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 during the signing ceremony, Frehiwot Tamiru, Chief Executive Officer of Ethio telecom, emphasized the strategic significance of the agreement:

“Through this tripartite agreement between Ethio telecom, Djibouti Telecom, and Sudatel Group, we are not merely signing a contract—we are building a shared digital future.”

She added:

“The Horizon Fiber Initiative represents a bold step toward a resilient, high-capacity, Africa-to-Africa connectivity corridor. By linking the submarine cable landing stations of Djibouti, passing through Ethiopia, and extending to Sudan, we are creating a secure, diversified, and scalable terrestrial route that strengthens regional and global connectivity.”

Highlighting the power of collaboration, she noted:

“What makes Horizon truly powerful is partnership. By combining our infrastructure assets, technical expertise, and shared vision, we are demonstrating how African operators can collaborate to solve real connectivity challenges and unlock new value for our customers, enterprises, and hyperscalers.”

She concluded:

“Together, we are laying the foundation for a future-ready digital backbone—one that connects nations, empowers economies, and positions our region as a strong and reliable gateway in the global digital ecosystem.”

Mohamed Assoweh Bouh, Chief Executive Officer of Djibouti Telecom, described the initiative as a defining moment for regional integration:

“The Horizon project opens a new chapter in the development and integration of telecommunications infrastructure in our region, with a common goal of progress and shared prosperity. This initiative demonstrates our ability to build world-class strategic infrastructure together, strengthen our digital sovereignty, and affirm our role on the global stage.”

Magdi M. Abdalla Taha, Chief Executive Officer of Sudatel Group, highlighted the broader significance of the collaboration:

“Beyond infrastructure, Horizon stands as a living model of innovative partnership among African operators. It demonstrates what becomes possible when visions align, priorities converge, and collaboration supplants competition. We view Horizon as a replicable benchmark for the rest of the continent.”

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. Horizon Fiber 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.