Orange has successfully completed the landing of the 21,700 km SEA-ME-WE 6 (Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 6) submarine cable system in Marseille, connecting France to Singapore. Following this landing, over 3,000 km of cable will be installed to link the system from Marseille to Egypt, reinforcing a crucial part of this extensive international network.
Built using the latest submarine fiber optic technologies, SEA-ME-WE 6 is designed to provide ultra-high speeds and low latency, meeting the growing demands of both customers and the global digital economy. Upon completion, this cable system will offer a total capacity of over 130 Tbps, significantly enhancing connectivity between Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
As the “landing party” in France, Orange is hosting the cable in Marseille, utilizing secure infrastructure to offer neutral access to the city’s data centers through an advanced urban fiber optic ring. This ensures that Marseille continues to be a key hub for global communications.
Aligned with its commitment to sustainability, Orange has taken significant steps to ensure the environmental protection of the areas surrounding the cable’s landing site. In close collaboration with local authorities and environmental agencies, studies were conducted to minimize the impact on sensitive marine ecosystems, including the preservation of coralligenous zones and Posidonia seagrass meadows. Specially designed measures were put in place, such as anchors to avoid seabed disruption, ensuring the ecosystem remains intact.
The SEA-ME-WE 6 system is set to provide high-speed, reliable connectivity for a broad range of customers, enabling the smooth flow of data across Asia, Africa, and Europe. Jean-Louis Le Roux, Director of International Networks at Orange, remarked: “This new cable reinforces our ability to offer express, high-performance connectivity between France and Asia, and meets the increasing needs of our customers along this key route. Marseille is once again at the heart of the European connectivity hub.”