Telecom operators in Ethiopia, Djibouti and Sudan have signed a tripartite agreement under the Horizon Fibre Initiative, aimed at developing a high-capacity cross-border fibre optic corridor.

According to a statement from Ethio Telecom, a tripartite agreement provides for the establishment of a resilient fibre terrestrial corridor linking the landing stations of international submarine cables in Djibouti, crossing Ethiopian territory and extending to the landing stations in Sudan.

The Horizon Fibre initiative aims to significantly enhance international bandwidth capacity, improve network resilience and redundancy, and meet the growing demand for data, cloud services, ultra-large-scale connectivity, digital platforms, and cross-border data flows in the region.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ethio Telecom’s Managing Director, Firehiwot Tamiru, indicated that Horizon Fibre consolidates Ethiopia’s position as a strategic digital transit hub.

It also supports the country’s international expansion, and provides a foundation for the development of advanced digital services, including cloud, data centres, enterprise solutions and cross-border digital commerce.