Angola Plans Terrestrial Fibre Expansion and Domestic Submarine Cable

Angola is planning to expand its terrestrial fibre-optic network and build a domestic submarine cable linking coastal cities as the government moves to increase broadband capacity and improve national connectivity.

The project will add to existing fibre infrastructure while addressing gaps in network coverage, infrastructure sharing and the reliability of some existing systems.

The Angolan government announced the plan on Wednesday, September 30, as part of a wider programme to strengthen digital infrastructure and extend telecommunications services across the country.

According to a government statement published on its Facebook page, the project will include both terrestrial fibre expansion and a domestic submarine cable connecting coastal cities.

Angola Already Has a Large Fibre Network

Angola had about 32,000 km of fibre infrastructure when the World Bank assessed the country's digital economy in 2023.

Despite the size of the network, the infrastructure has not delivered its full potential. The World Bank identified gaps in deployment, limited infrastructure sharing between operators and reliability problems affecting some networks.

The bank also found that terrestrial fibre was becoming increasingly important for national backhaul as demand for data continued to grow. Microwave and satellite networks can provide connectivity in areas where fibre is difficult to deploy, but their capacity can be limited as traffic increases.

Some of Angola's existing fibre assets also remain underused.

The World Bank described Angola Telecom, the state-owned incumbent, as an “unreliable provider of last resort” and noted that its domestic coastal cable was out of service because repair costs were too high.

Unitel, the country's largest mobile operator, had about 14,000 km of transport fibre but did not provide wholesale access to other operators, despite having excess capacity.

The Benguela railway and national electricity transmission network were identified as more reliable third-party fibre providers. Their networks, however, are largely restricted to corridors along railway and electricity infrastructure.

Satellite and Submarine Connectivity

The new fibre investment forms part of a wider effort to combine terrestrial, satellite and submarine infrastructure.

One of the main initiatives is Conecta Angola, which uses ANGOSAT-2, the country's national telecommunications satellite, to connect communities that remain outside the reach of terrestrial and mobile networks.

In April 2025, the Angolan Institute of Communications (INACOM) said the programme had installed 20 access points across 16 provinces and provided free internet access to more than 350,000 people in remote areas.

The programme later moved into commercial services. Launched in December 2025, the commercial model uses ANGOSAT-2 capacity and allows entrepreneurs and local operators to distribute communications services in areas where conventional infrastructure is limited.

Angola is also connecting Conecta Angola to the 2Africa submarine cable. The link is expected to increase the bandwidth available for VSAT traffic, with satellite-connected communities routing traffic through the project hub before accessing national and international networks through 2Africa.

Infrastructure Sharing Remains a Challenge

The government is also pursuing measures aimed at encouraging more infrastructure investment and competition.

The Ilumina Angola project is designed to establish a shared-investment mechanism for telecommunications operators developing new infrastructure. The initiative also includes national roaming and measures intended to strengthen competition and the financial sustainability of the telecommunications sector.

For Angola, improving how existing infrastructure is shared could be as important as adding new networks.

A larger fibre footprint will provide more capacity, but operators and service providers also need access to infrastructure that is already in place if the country is to extend broadband more efficiently.

Digital Divide Remains Significant

The infrastructure expansion comes while a large share of Angola's population remains offline.

International Telecommunication Union data shows that about 59.3% of Angola's population did not use the internet in 2024.

Mobile broadband coverage has expanded considerably. In 2025, 3G networks covered 90.9% of the population, while 4G coverage reached 80.3%. 5G coverage stood at 33.8%.

The figures show that network coverage is expanding, but access and actual internet use remain a challenge.

Angola's next phase of investment will therefore need to address both sides of the connectivity gap: building more high-capacity infrastructure and ensuring that households, businesses and communities can affordably use the networks once they are available.