In Gabon, Actemium recently installed an MCLS, a key piece of modular infrastructure for connecting undersea internet cables to support digital development in Africa.
In October 2024 in Gabon, Actemium finalised the installation of a new modular cable landing station (MCLS) to connect an undersea fibre-optic cable. This installation marked a key milestone in a series of projects undertaken by the VINCI Energies industry brand as part of the 2Africa programme to connect the African continent via a 45,000 km undersea cable – the longest in the world.
“Since 2020, we have installed six MCLS on the African continent: in Kenya, Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Congo‑Brazzaville, and now Gabon,” explains Efflam Moysan, Project Manager at Actemium Le Mans Energies & Process. Since 2018, the business unit has installed around twenty of these stations around the world.
Agility and flexibility
So, what exactly is an MCLS? These modular steel-and-concrete buildings designed to last for over 50 years are used to connect an undersea fibre-optic cable to the terrestrial internet network.
This infrastructure provides a reliable landing point for the internet connection, especially in remote locations or areas subject to severe constraints. It secures the link, and processes and transmits data to local infrastructure while powering the undersea cable.
“The MCLS offers greater agility and flexibility than a conventional cable landing station (CLS) but remains competitive in terms of costs,” says Efflam Moysan.
Designed and assembled in a controlled environment in France by a team of experienced operatives, these MCLS can provide a rapid response to the specific needs of a given project. Their modular nature makes them easily adaptable to local constraints, be they technical (power needs), geographical or topographical (accessibility), administrative (delays in obtaining permits), security-related (bulletproof armour), aesthetic or climate-related.
“Greater agility and flexibility than a conventional station, but still competitive in terms of costs.”
And they can be configured to any required size. Landing stations are typically becoming larger, epitomised by the station most recently installed in the United States, which measures 210 sq. metres.
This flexibility allowed the station in Gabon to be built even before the construction permit had been obtained. From there, commissioning took less than two months, compared with more than six for a conventional CLS.
Digital resilience
MCLS are robust and capable of withstanding natural disasters, security threats and system failures. They are equipped with critical services including cooling, backup power, fire detection, video surveillance, and access control. Some have already proved their effectiveness in extreme conditions, such as when Super Typhoon Yutu struck the Pacific region in 2018.
MCLS form part of a constantly evolving network architecture, incorporating technologies such as 100G coherent optical lines, smart mesh networks and packet switching. These stations can accommodate submarine line terminal equipment (SLTE) and hybrid systems with data centres to ensure end-to-end connectivity, particularly in emerging markets.
“MCLS is a sustainable and strategic solution, crucial to the expansion of broadband internet and digital infrastructure in different countries,” says Efflam Moysan, emphasising that the expertise of VINCI Energies as an integrator is key to success in such projects.
10/15/2025
