What AFR-IX Telecom does

AFR-IX Telecom is a privately-held, Barcelona-headquartered (Spain) infrastructure and licensed telecommunication operator founded in 2013 that designs, builds, and delivers fiber-optic connectivity to, from, and within Africa. The company operates a hybrid terrestrial and submarine network: a pan-African IP/MPLS backbone spanning more than 120 Points of Presence across 50+ countries on four continents, paired with the Medusa Submarine Cable System — an owned, 8,700 km subsea cable with up to 24 fiber pairs and a design capacity of 480 Tbps, with landing points in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and West Africa. Core product lines include IP Transit, International Private Leased Circuit (IPLC), Dedicated Internet Access (DIA), L2/L3 MPLS services, SD-WAN, colocation, and submarine cable capacity/spectrum, complemented by a pan-African DDoS Scrubbing Platform built on Flowmon and F5 tooling, all monitored from a 24/7 Network Operations Center in Barcelona.

The company monetizes primarily through recurring subscription and managed-service contracts sold on a custom-quoted basis to wholesale carriers, ISPs, enterprises, multinationals, government institutions, and content/cloud operators. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales, channel partners and landing-party agreements with national operators (Orange, Telecom Egypt, Guilab SA, Etihad Salam), and event-driven demand generation at industry conferences (AfricaCOM, ITW Africa, Capacity Europe, Submarine Networks EMEA). Capital structure is anchored by a €342 million Medusa build with €14.3 million in EU Connecting Europe Facility Digital grant co-funding, and the company holds ISO/IEC 27001, MANRS, and NIST 800-53 certifications while pursuing ISO 9001/14001/45001 alignment — placing it among the more compliance-mature operators in the African wholesale connectivity market.

Name

AFR-IX Telecom

Legal name

AFR-IX telecom S.A.

Website

https://afr-ix.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Barcelona-headquartered infrastructure and licensed telecom operator providing IP Transit, MPLS, SD-WAN, colocation, and the Medusa Submarine Cable System to wholesale carriers, ISPs, enterprises, governments, and content providers across 50+ African and European countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Telecommunications and Subsea Cable Infrastructure

NAICS

Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (51711), Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111), All Other Telecommunications (5178)

SIC

Communications Services, Nec (4899), Services-Telephone Interconnect Systems (7385)

akta.pro primary industry

Subsea & Terrestrial Backhaul to Data Centers and Cloud On-Ramps (IX/DC Interconnect) (HDAIALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Carrier Interconnection & Peering Exchanges (IXPs, private interconnect, cross-connect) (HDAIAEAG), Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) & Peering Services (HDABALAC)

Keywords

• Wholesale telecom services
• Submarine cable infrastructure
• Pan-african network
• IP transit services
• Managed network services

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. IP Transit: AFR-IX provides non-over-subscribed, high-speed, low-latency IP transit with full BGP routing to access the internet. This is a recurring subscription-based service primarily sold to ISPs, carriers, and enterprises across Africa.
2. Dedicated Internet Access (DIA): Provides non-oversubscribed, high-speed, low-latency dedicated internet connections for enterprises and wholesale clients at African sites. Recurring subscription model.
3. MPLS L2 & L3 Services: Layer 2 and Layer 3 private network services enabling secure, scalable site-to-site connectivity across Africa using MPLS technology. Sold as recurring managed services.
4. Subsea Capacity, Spectrum & Fiber Pairs (Medusa Cable): AFR-IX sells or leases capacity, spectrum, or fiber pairs through the Medusa Submarine Cable System to carriers, content providers, and hyperscalers. Revenue is generated through long-term capacity agreements.
5. Colocation & Landing Facilities: AFR-IX offers colocation and landing station services at its cable landing points, providing secure physical space and power for customers' network equipment. Recurring colocation fees.
6. International Private Leased Circuit (IPLC): Point-to-point private line services connecting clients' African sites with international locations, providing secure, dedicated international connectivity.
7. SD-WAN & Managed Services: Managed SD-WAN and end-to-end network management services, simplifying network operations for enterprises. Typically recurring service fees bundled with connectivity.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AFR-IX Telecom is an infrastructure and licensed telecommunications operator that designs, builds, and delivers fiber-optic connectivity services to, from, and within Africa. Its core portfolio includes IP Transit, IPLC, Dedicated Internet Access (DIA), L2/L3 MPLS Services, SD-WAN, Colocation & Managed Services, and submarine cable capacity/spectrum/fiber pairs delivered via its proprietary Medusa Submarine Cable System across more than 120 PoPs in 50+ countries.

Product overview

AFR-IX Telecom is an infrastructure and licensed telecommunication operator providing a comprehensive suite of connectivity services across Africa. The core product portfolio includes IP Transit, IPLC (International Private Leased Circuit), Dedicated Internet Access (DIA), L2-L3 MPLS Services, SD-WAN, and Colocation & Managed Services. These services are delivered through the company's extensive Pan-African terrestrial network and the Medusa Submarine Cable System (a proprietary 8,700km subsea cable with 480 Tbps capacity). Additional offerings include DDoS protection services. The Medusa system serves as the backbone for subsea fiber capacity, while the terrestrial MPLS and SD-WAN services enable site-to-site connectivity across African regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Medusa Submarine Cable System: Subsea fiber optic cable system owned by AFR-IX Telecom, spanning 8,700km with up to 24 fiber pairs and 480 Tbps capacity, connecting Europe, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Products and services

• IP Transit Provides wholesale access to the Internet via a non-over-subscribed, high-speed, low-latency connection using Full BGP Routing, sold to carriers, ISPs, enterprises, and public institutions.
• IPLC (International Private Leased Circuit) Point-to-point private line connectivity service enabling companies to connect their African sites with international locations over a secure, dedicated circuit.
• DIA (Dedicated Internet Access) Provides dedicated, non-over-subscribed, high-speed, low-latency internet access for African sites, ensuring consistent performance for enterprises and wholesale clients.
• L2-L3 MPLS Services Enables secure, scalable site-to-site connectivity across Africa via Layer 2 and Layer 3 MPLS private network services for enterprises, carriers, and institutions.
• SD-WAN Software-defined WAN service that lets customers build and manage VPNs over any network, with application-aware routing and real-time performance optimization for flexible enterprise connectivity.
• Colocation & Managed Services Provides efficient and secure colocation services with state-of-the-art facilities and 24/7 technical support, plus end-to-end managed network services simplifying operations for enterprises and carriers.
• Colocation & Landing Facilities Secure physical space and power for customers' network equipment at AFR-IX cable landing points and data center locations, with 24/7 technical support.
• Medusa Submarine Cable System (Subsea Fibre, Capacity & Spectrum) An 8,700+ km subsea fiber optic cable system with up to 24 fiber pairs (20 Tbps per pair) and 480 Tbps total design capacity, offering capacity, spectrum, and fiber pairs to carriers, content providers, and hyperscalers connecting Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
• DDoS Scrubbing Platform A distributed denial of service protection service that filters malicious traffic to prevent service degradation for ISPs and enterprise customers across AFR-IX's African footprint.

Quantifiable outcome

• Medusa cable will provide up to 480 Tbps capacity across 24 fiber pairs, serving up to 22 African countries.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Konekt SPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2026AFR-IX Telecom and Konekt SP announced a strategic agreement to strengthen connectivity in South Africa, expanding network reach and service delivery in the Southern African market.
• Etihad Salam Telecom (Salam)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025Etihad Salam and AFR-IX Telecom partnered to connect the Medusa Submarine Cable System to Saudi Arabia, positioning the kingdom as a key digital hub connecting Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Salam serves as the International Gateway Partner and primary landing/interconnection hub for Medusa in Saudi Arabia, supporting Vision 2030 and regional digital transformation.
• OrangecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOrange served as the landing partner for both France (Marseille) and Tunisia (Bizerte) for the ViaTunisia segment of the Medusa cable. Orange Marine carried out marine operations. The ViaTunisia segment was co-financed by the EU under the CEF Digital programme, with Orange providing access to its global infrastructure in Marseille.
• Guilab SAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGuilab SA serves as the landing party for the Medusa cable in the Republic of Guinea (Conakry). Guilab will handle local cable landing operations and maintenance, extending Medusa's reach to Guinea as its second submarine cable after the ACE system.
• Alcatel Submarine NetworkscoreTechnology or IntegrationAlcatel Submarine Networks delivered the system design for the Medusa cable and is the primary cable builder for the project. The company manufactures and installs the submarine fiber optic cable system.
• Republic of GuineacoreOthersThe Republic of Guinea signed a construction and maintenance agreement with AFR-IX Telecom/Medusa to land its cable in Conakry, making Guinea the second West African country (after the ACE system in 2012) to host the Medusa cable.
• Orange TunisiecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOrange Tunisie served as the landing partner for the Medusa cable's landing in Tunisia (Bizerte), making Tunisia the first African country to host the Medusa submarine cable.
• DE-CIXminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFR-IX has a strategic partnership with DE-CIX to enhance Barcelona's connectivity and position it as a major digital hub, connecting AFR-IX's African network to European peering exchanges.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SEACOM: SEACOM owns and operates a subsea cable system along the East and West African coast, providing IP transit, cloud connectivity, and managed services to carriers and enterprises. It is a direct subsea and wholesale connectivity peer, particularly competing for hyperscaler traffic between Europe, Africa, and Asia.
• WIOCC: WIOCC is a wholesale carrier that owns capacity on multiple subsea cables (EASSy, WACS, ACE) and provides IP Transit, MPLS, and colocation across 30+ African countries. It is a direct peer to AFR-IX's wholesale carrier/IP transit business and competes for the same hyperscaler and ISP customer base.
• Paratus Group: Paratus is a pan-African telecommunications operator (Namibia-headquartered) operating fibre networks, data centres, and subsea cable capacity (including Equiano landings) across Southern, East, and West Africa. It is comparable to AFR-IX in serving wholesale carriers and enterprises in underserved African markets with integrated connectivity products.
• MainOne (Equinix): MainOne is a West African submarine cable operator (now owned by Equinix) operating the MainOne cable from Portugal to Nigeria and a data-centre business. It is the closest direct peer to AFR-IX in terms of subsea cable ownership, wholesale carrier services, and pan-African enterprise connectivity across Nigeria, Ghana, and Côte d'Ivoire.
• Angola Cables: Angola Cables owns the SACS and WACS subsea cable systems and operates the AngoNAP data centres, providing wholesale IP transit, cloud interconnect, and capacity to carriers and content providers. It is a direct peer for subsea capacity sales and wholesale carrier services targeting the South Atlantic and Africa–Europe routes.
• Liquid Intelligent Technologies (Cassava Technologies): Liquid operates a pan-African fibre network spanning 110,000+ km and provides wholesale IP transit, MPLS, cloud connectivity, and subsea capacity via its stake in multiple cables. It is the largest privately-held pan-African fibre competitor to AFR-IX and competes for enterprise and carrier customers across the continent.
• EllaLink: EllaLink owns a dedicated subsea cable between Europe (Sines/Marseille) and Latin America with planned extensions, offering wholesale capacity and IP services. It is a direct peer for subsea cable ownership and wholesale capacity sales and represents a strategic alternative for hyperscalers seeking Europe-to-emerging-market routes.

Broad incumbents

• Orange Wholesale (Orange International Carriers): Orange operates one of the world's largest wholesale carrier businesses with extensive subsea cable capacity, IP transit, MPLS, and colocation services across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. It is both a partner (landing party for Medusa) and broad incumbent competitor to AFR-IX, particularly in French-speaking West and North Africa.
• Bayobab (formerly MTN GlobalConnect): Bayobab is the wholesale and infrastructure arm of MTN Group, operating subsea cable capacity (2Africa, EASSy, WACS), terrestrial fibre across Africa, and global IP/MPLS services. It is a broad incumbent peer offering an overlapping product suite at greater scale and with the backing of Africa's largest mobile operator.

Others

• DE-CIX: DE-CIX is the world's largest Internet Exchange operator with presence in 50+ locations, including Africa (Marseille, Barcelona partner of AFR-IX). It is an adjacent/enabling peer — AFR-IX partners with DE-CIX for Barcelona peering, and DE-CIX represents a comparable digital infrastructure model focused on interconnection rather than long-haul capacity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/afr-ix
• Xx.com/AFR_IXtelecom

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AFR-IX Telecom