Lagos to Accra in 11 Milliseconds: Phase3, CSquared Unveil High Speed Fibre Connection

The digital divide in West Africa is set to shrink further with the launch of an ultra-fast fibre optic route connecting Lagos, Nigeria, and Accra, Ghana, achieved through a strategic partnership between Phase3 and CSquared. The new connection, operating with a remarkable latency of just 11 milliseconds, signals a significant leap forward in enabling seamless content delivery, cloud services, and communication across the region.

CSquared and CSquared Woezon, through a strategic partnership with Phase3 and SBIN, today announced new terrestrial fibre route from Lagos, Nigeria to Accra, Ghana, setting a new standard for regional connectivity.

Achieving latency of just 11ms between Lagos and Accra, this terrestrial route will ensure faster, more resilient data delivery for content, cloud, and communication services – a significant milestone in West Africa’s digital infrastructure resilience.

This ultra-low latency will significantly enhance the performance of content, cloud, and communication services, ensuring a smoother and more responsive online experience for businesses and individuals alike. This development marks a crucial step forward in strengthening West Africa’s digital backbone and minimizing disruptions.

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According to reports, this strategic partnership and the deployment of this terrestrial infrastructure directly address the vulnerabilities exposed in March 2024. During this period, a rockfall incident off the West African coast caused substantial damage to multiple subsea cables, leading to widespread and prolonged connectivity outages across the region. The absence of robust terrestrial alternatives left many parts of West Africa without viable restoration options.

Ian Paterson, CEO of CSquared, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, “We’re proud to partner to extend our existing high-capacity terrestrial infrastructure beyond Ghana and Togo. This project proves what’s possible when regional infrastructure providers come together to build for scale, speed, and redundancy. It’s a significant step toward a digitally connected West Africa.” He further highlighted the integration of CSquared’s existing footprint in West Africa into a broader ECOWAS terrestrial solution aimed at driving digitalization across the region.

Stanley Jegede, Executive Chairman of Phase3, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the route’s role in reinforcing their commitment to building a truly resilient and secure digital backbone across West Africa. He noted, “The events of March 2024 made it clear that Hyperscalers, CDNs, and operators alike require redundancy on land, not just undersea. With this new terrestrial link, Lagos’ digital ecosystem can be future-proofed, and ensure no nation east of Côte d’Ivoire is digitally isolated again.”

The successful configuration, activation, and rigorous testing of this vital route were made possible through close collaboration with key regional infrastructure partners, including Phase3 and SBIN. This collaborative effort ensured the robust deployment of fibre optic cables across Ghana, Togo, and Benin, creating a seamless and reliable connection between Nigeria and Ghana.

Craig Lowe, Chief Growth Officer at Phase3, further emphasized the strategic importance of this terrestrial route, stating, “This collaboration between multiple partners offers strategic network resilience for the entire region. Subsea cables are vital, but diverse terrestrial paths are non-negotiable for today’s cloud-first, latency-sensitive ecosystem. This route will become the primary inland path from Nigeria to Accra, enabling redundant pathways for critical content delivery and cloud traffic.”

While the Ready for Service (RFS) date and commercial details are yet to be announced, this partnership between Phase3 and CSquared represents a significant leap forward in integrating the digital infrastructure of critical West African economies. By leveraging existing terrestrial infrastructure and the Equiano cable system, this initiative underscores the importance of regional partnerships in achieving new levels of resilience and setting a new benchmark for terrestrial connectivity in West Africa.