As digital transformation continues to grow around the world, African nations are working to improve their connectivity infrastructure. This is especially challenging for landlocked countries, which must rely on neighboring nations to access international networks. On Monday, October 5, Nigerian officials announced the upcoming launch of a fiber-optic connection with Algeria. This interconnection is a key step for Niger, a landlocked country without direct access to undersea cables, to diversify its routes for international connectivity. According to the Niger Press Agency (ANP), the Minister of Communication and Information and Communication Technologies, Hamani Kargné, traveled to Agadez, where he will oversee the official ceremony for the launch of the link near Assamaka, at the Algerian border. This move is part of broader efforts to reduce the country's digital isolation. The fiber-optic connection with Algeria is part of the Trans-Saharan Fiber Optic Backbone (DTS), a regional project aimed at strengthening land-based telecommunications and interconnecting several Sahelian and North African countries. In Niger, the project plans to extend the national backbone to the borders of five neighboring countries: Algeria, Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, and Chad. On Nigerian territory, the project includes 1,031 kilometers of fiber optic spread across five routes. These include connections to the Algerian border, the Chadian border, the Nigerian border, and routes to Benin and Burkina Faso. In addition to these routes, there is an 88-kilometer local loop intended to connect key administrative sites to a future national data center. Algeria, for example, already has five submarine links that connect it to international networks, with another planned for 2027. Its international capacity reached 9.8 Tbit/s in 2024, according to the Algerian Ministry of Post and Telecommunications. This provides Niger with an additional route to international connectivity. To the south, the link to Benin allows access to cables such as ACE, SAT-3, and MTWA/Moov Africa, while the connection to Nigeria provides access to a market linked to several submarine systems, including MainOne, SAT-3, ACE, Glo-1, WACS, Equiano, and NCSCS. Neighboring countries like Burkina Faso and Chad, which are also landlocked, could potentially serve as transit points for connectivity infrastructure. However, challenges remain. While these interconnections should help reduce Niger's digital isolation and improve internet access, their impact depends on the effective completion of all segments. The DTS project had already received provisional approval in November 2025 after the completion of its 1,031 kilometers of fiber on Nigerian territory. Another challenge is the vulnerability of land-based fiber networks, which are often laid along roads or transport routes. These can be accidentally severed during construction or damaged by accidents, vandalism, or attacks in areas affected by insecurity. A disruption in any segment can cut off connectivity for dependent areas. Niger remains vulnerable to incidents occurring on the networks through which its traffic passes. A disruption in Benin, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, or Algeria could affect the country's access to international networks, even if its own infrastructure remains intact. Chad, for example, relies on Cameroon for its international connectivity and is regularly affected by outages that impact its neighbor's infrastructure. Its link with Sudan has been out of service since 2024 due to the ongoing conflict in that country.