The Orange Group has announced the launch of the ReuNION project to create a new submarine cable connecting Réunion Island with South Africa, at a time when some existing submarine cable systems in the region are approaching the end of their operational lives. The project aims to provide a more direct international route, reduce latency, and increase communications capacity to accommodate the continued growth in data traffic.
The cable is part of a consortium comprising Orange, Telco OI, Réunicable, and La Réunion Connectée. The project is expected to add a new international communications route in the region, supporting the continuity of digital services and reducing reliance on existing routes, according to the information announced about the initiative.
Cable Specifications and the Companies’ Roles
ReuNION will use next-generation technology and consist of 16 fiber-optic pairs, with capacity of up to 20 terabits per second per pair. The material did not state the system’s total theoretical capacity or the scheduled date for its launch.
Orange will serve as the cable landing party in Réunion. This responsibility includes obtaining permits, carrying out civil engineering works at the landing site, establishing a secure landing station, and connecting the cable to the island’s terrestrial telecommunications infrastructure.
Orange Marine will handle the cable deployment and laying operations, while Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) will design and manufacture the system in accordance with the project’s technical and regulatory requirements.
Why Does This News Matter?
The project’s importance is not linked solely to the cable’s capacity, but also to the addition of an alternative route to Réunion’s international communications infrastructure. Diversifying routes can strengthen networks’ ability to continue providing services when one of the existing routes experiences a failure or disruption, while also enabling them to accommodate increased use of digital services and data traffic.
The project has received financial support from the European Union through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), and has also been approved for funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This support reflects the view that connecting outermost regions is part of strategic digital infrastructure, rather than merely a commercial expansion of a telecommunications network.
Context and Announced Limitations
Jean-Louis Le Roux, Orange’s executive vice president for international networks, said that the cable represents a key element in supporting digital development and economic growth in Réunion, pointing to the continued increase in data traffic and the need for more resilient networks. Le Roux linked the project to Orange’s “Trust the future” strategy and to the group’s experience in manufacturing, laying, and landing submarine cables.
Orange says it is globally involved in operating and investing in more than 40 submarine cables, with total lengths approaching 450,000 kilometers of fiber optics. The group also supports this activity through Orange Marine, which specializes in cable laying and maintenance, and Orange Wholesale, which manages cable landing points in a number of its markets.
However, the material does not specify the cost of the ReuNION project, its implementation schedule, its service launch date, or details of the final structure of the connection route. These elements therefore remain open questions for assessing the project’s practical impact, despite the clarity of its objectives concerning the resilience, capacity, and diversification of international communications.