Phase 3 Telecom has partnered with Sonatel to activate a new 3,500-kilometre terrestrial fibre route stretching from Lagos, Nigeria to Dakar, Senegal.
As a result, the move will deliver scalable, low-latency connectivity and unlock critical clouds across the region via a land-based alternative to subsea systems.
The cable achieves latency as low as 21ms and offers resilience for the region heavily impacted by the 2024 cable disruptions.
By bridging networks via Benin, Togo, Ghana and now Senegal, the new terrestrial path offers critical redundancy for hyperscalers, content networks, financial institutions, governments and cloud providers, the company stated.
It also expands the Djoliba network from Ghana into Nigeria and reduces exposure to future subsea outages, supporting national digital strategies across the region.
Phase 3 executive chairman Stanley Jegede, said: “This isn’t just a route, it’s a digital spine for West Africa.
“We’re building for scale, for redundancy, and the future. With Sonatel’s partnership, we’re ensuring Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, and everyone in between can access fast, secure, and uninterrupted connectivity.”
Phase 3 chief growth officer, Craig Lowe, added: “We’ve designed this network for hyperscalers, CDNs, and operators that can’t afford downtime. This is about data sovereignty, application performance and cloud transformation. And most importantly, it’s about building an internet that doesn’t fail when the cables do.”
Sonate CEO, Sékou Dramé, stated: “This partnership brings our regional vision to life.
“Together with Phase 3, we’ve created a secure, high-capacity terrestrial path linking Dakar to Lagos, while interconnecting our major platforms. It’s a step change in West Africa’s digital capability.”
El Hadji Maty Sene, managing director of Sonatel Wholesale and International, concluded: “Dakar is emerging as a strategic connectivity hub for West Africa. With this route, clients benefit from diversified infrastructure, lower latency, and reliable access to global content. This is the kind of investment that drives real economic outcomes.”
