During a session at the ongoing MWC Barcelona 2025, the world’s largest connectivity event, BCS Group, a leading Pan-African wholesale telecom infrastructure provider, has announced the completion of its Lake Tanganyika Submarine Cable Project.
- •This initiative marks the deployment of the deepest inland undersea fiber optic cable in the world, setting a new benchmark for connectivity in Africa.
- •The Lake Tanganyika submarine cable spans an impressive 400 kilometers, reaching depths of 800 to 1,300 meters beneath the surface of Africa’s longest and the world’s second-deepest lake.
- •The project is set to enhance connectivity across the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and surrounding regions, bringing affordable, high-speed internet access to 7 million people in South Kivu province and 3.7 million people in the Lake Tanganyika region.
The Lake Tanganyika project builds on BCS Group’s proven expertise in deploying submarine fiber optic cables in some of Africa’s most challenging environments. The company previously completed successful installations in Lake Albert (2018-2019) and the Congo River (2022). These projects have been instrumental in addressing the continent’s connectivity gaps, particularly in regions with limited terrestrial infrastructure.
Lake Tanganyika, stretching 660 kilometers in length and reaching depths of up to 1,436 meters, is a critical geographical feature in Central Africa. BCS Group’s 24-core single armored submarine cable connects Northern DRC with Southeastern DRC, with potential expansions to Tanzania and Burundi.
“As the heart of Africa and custodian of a majority of natural resources required to drive modern life, the development and prosperity of Congo is central to the development of our continent.” said Yonas Maru, Founder and MD of BCS Group. “The Lake Tanganyika submarine fiber cable combined with the 2,500 kms. of railroad and 2,000 kms. of Congo river cables being deployed enables us to overcome the lack of road infrastructure in Congo to light up the “dark” continent, provided East across to West Africa connectivity and take a step towards leapfrogging the development ladder.”
The Lake Tanganyika Submarine Cable Project was developed in collaboration with major telecom operators, including Airtel.
BCS Group
Founded in 2009, BCS Group has emerged as a leading Pan-African telecom infrastructure company, providing fiber connectivity solutions across Eastern, Central, and Southern Africa. With a network spanning over 80,000 kilometers, the company specializes in fiber optic construction, wholesale IP transit, and global and regional connectivity services. BCS Group’s extensive terrestrial fiber network, covering over 20,000 kilometers across seven countries, connects Mombasa, Kenya, to the West Africa Cable System (WACS) through Muanda, DRC, and Luanda, Angola. This network provides vital capacity to landlocked countries while ensuring redundancy in case of unplanned outages.
BCS Group partners with leading telecom operators such as Vodacom, Airtel, and Orange, as well as content providers like Meta, to deliver cutting-edge connectivity solutions that drive Africa’s digital economy.
Yonas Maru, the Founder and Managing Director of BCS Group has a background in private equity, investment banking, and management consulting, as well as software engineering and systems. Prior to BCS Group, he worked at Kingdom Zephyr Management, where he led debt securitization transactions, including the execution of a $200 million securitization deal. He also worked at McKinsey & Company, advising multinational corporations in the telecommunications and IT industries. Yonas holds an MBA from Columbia University and an MSc in Civil Engineering from Cornell University.
