In Hong Kong, the Southeast Asia–Hainan–Hong Kong (SEA-H2X) cable was successfully landed at Tseung Kwan O. As the landing party for this segment, China Mobile completed the work and marked the start of construction for the Hong Kong section. The 6,000-kilometre cable is scheduled for full completion by the end of 2025 and includes eight fibre pairs with a design capacity of more than 200Tbps.
SEA-H2X links Hainan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore. It adopts open-cable access and spectrum-sharing technologies to improve configurability and transmission efficiency. China Mobile invested in four trunk fibre pairs and several branch segments, securing at least 100Tbps of dedicated bandwidth once the system becomes operational. The company said SEA-H2X strengthens its existing Asia-Pacific network, which includes SJC, APG and SJC2, bringing its total number of regional submarine cables to ten. These routes form what the company described as a “world-class digital infrastructure for computing networks,” supporting stable, high-capacity and low-latency services.
The project also highlights Hong Kong’s role as a regional digital hub. By connecting the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area with Hainan and Southeast Asia, SEA-H2X creates what China Mobile called a “direct international data artery” designed to support digital-economy development and cross-border data-centre activities.
Simultaneously, China Mobile completed the activation of the 2Africa submarine cable’s eastern segments, covering South Africa, Kenya and Djibouti, as well as Marseille to Egypt. The company held a launch event in Nairobi under the theme “Connect, Innovate, Ignite: Empowering Africa’s Digital Future Together.”
H.E. Guo Haiyan, China’s ambassador to Kenya, said: “Digital cooperation is becoming a key driver of collaboration between China and Africa. The successful activation of the 2Africa submarine cable eastern segment and the launch of China Mobile’s AI+ Cloud-Network Convergence Industry Solutions vividly illustrate the results of China–Africa digital collaboration.”
Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for ICT and the Digital Economy, Hon. William Kabogo Gitau, described the 2Africa system as “a landmark achievement of China-Africa collaboration”, adding: “This cable does more than transmit data, it connects Africa to the future of the world.”
Li Huidi, EVP of China Mobile, said AI and 5G are becoming “key drivers of economic transformation across Africa.” He outlined plans to deepen cooperation with African partners by integrating 2Africa cable resources with AI computing and cloud-network technologies.
The 2Africa system spans about 45,000 kilometres with a design capacity of 180Tbps, connecting 33 countries across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe. China Mobile said activating the eastern segment will “inject powerful momentum into local digital transformation and economic growth” and reinforce Africa’s position in global connectivity.
