Share

New undersea cable announced

Johannesburg - French company Alcatel-Lucent has reached an agreement with 20 telecommunications operators worldwide to install a 17 000km submarine system that will connect South Africa to France, with 23 countries linked up along the way.

According to Alcatel-Lucent the new cable will have a capacity of 5.12Tbps, more than four times that of Seacom.

The $500m Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) cable will link Cape Town in South Africa to Penmarch in France via a submarine cable network.

"Upon expected commercial service in the first half of 2012, this network will bring broadband optical data connectivity for the first time to the people of Mauritania, Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, and Equatorial Guinea," read a statement released on Tuesday.

"It will also provide a higher level of service and traffic protection in the region by featuring Alcatel-Lucent's technology advancements in next-generation coherent technology, including innovations from Bell Labs, to deal with transmission impairments in a cost-effective and automated manner."

ACE's costal route will link South Africa to France via Namibia, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, Tenerife (Spain) and Portugal. It will have 21 landing points along the route.

Said Yves Ruggeri, chairperson of the consortium's management committee: "ACE is further proof of the need for faster and more cost-effective capacity and alternative route to provide everyone with broadband access, so crucial to social and economic development."

He said the new cable "will set a new milestone in the development of the African communication infrastructure".

 - Fin24.com
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.29
-0.7%
Rand - Pound
23.87
-1.1%
Rand - Euro
20.58
-1.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.38
-1.1%
Rand - Yen
0.12
-1.2%
Platinum
943.50
+0.0%
Palladium
1,034.50
-0.1%
Gold
2,391.84
+0.0%
Silver
28.68
+0.0%
Brent-ruolie
87.29
+0.2%
Top 40
67,314
+0.2%
All Share
73,364
+0.1%
Resource 10
63,285
-0.0%
Industrial 25
98,701
+0.3%
Financial 15
15,499
+0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders