On 28 June 2019, Google announced that it will deploy a private submarine cable running from Lisbon (Portugal) to Cape Town (South Africa). Called "Equiano", the cable will have branching units along the way that can be used to extend connectivity to additional African countries. The first branch is expected to land in Lagos (Nigeria). According to a company press release, Equiano will use space-division multiplexing, with approximately 20 times more network capacity than the last cable built to serve this region, and will be the first subsea cable to incorporate optical switching at the fiber-pair level, rather than the traditional approach of wavelength-level switching. This greatly simplifies the allocation of cable capacity, giving Google the flexibility to add and reallocate capacity in different locations as needed. Google says that a contract to construct the cable was signed with Alcatel Submarine Networks in Q4 2018, and the first phase of the project, connecting South Africa with... Read More →
Blog
Log In
Language
Archives
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
South Sudan: Liquid Telecom Starts Construction Of 300-Km Fibre Route From Juba To Uganda
Filed under: Fibre Long Haul, Fibre Metro Tags: South Sudan
On 1 July 2019, Liquid Telecom announced that it will start construction of a fibre optic network in South Sudan, which will interconnect with the operator’s regional fibre optic network. According to a company press release, the first phase of the agreement signed between the Government of South Sudan’s National Communication Authority and Liquid Telecom will include a 300-km fibre backbone operating from the border of Uganda, through South Sudan, to the capital city Juba. This first phase is scheduled to be completed and go live in the last quarter of 2019. The network will then be expanded to other cities in subsequent phases, in time supporting the country’s 13 million citizens. For the time being, South Sudan does not have any cross-border fibre optic connectivity to its neighbouring countries, or to submarine cable landing points. South Sudan is already connected to Uganda via microwave, and Uganda’s national backbone includes a fibre optic link to Nimule on the border with... Read More →
Comoros: Comores Telecom Increases International Bandwidth To 10 Gbps During 2018
Comores Telecom has announced that it increased its international Internet bandwidth to 10 Gbps during 2018. The operator previously reported 5.598 Gbps in December 2017 (2 x STM16 + 1 x STM-4), and 2.488 Gbps in 2016 (1 x STM-16). Comores Telecom has been connected to the EASSy submarine cable since it entered service in July 2010. The operator had an initial activated capacity of 180 Mbps on the EASSy cable for the first year of service (see Comoros: Comores Telecom To Build Inter-Island Submarine Cable, Connected To EASSy at 180 Mbps), which was increased to 310 Mbps in 2012, 465 Mbps in 2014, and 900 Mbps in 2015 (see Comoros: Comores Telecom’s International Bandwidth Reaches 900 Mbps, 2015). Comores Telecom also announced that it upgraded capacity on its national fibre backbone and the Avassa submarine cable system connecting Comoros with Mayotte from 2.5 Gbps to 10 Gbps (see Comoros: Huawei Completes ‘Avassa’ Submarine Cable Connecting Comoros And Mayotte). Meanwhile, Telma... Read More →
Morocco: Morocco’s International Bandwidth Reaches 1.508 Tbps, December 2018
Morocco’s international Internet bandwidth reached 1.508 Tbps in December 2018, an annual increase of 34%, according to latest statistics released by Agence Nationale de Réglementation des Télécommunications (ANRT). Morocco’s international bandwidth was 1.125 Tbps in December 2017, 650 Gbps in 2016, 450 Gbps in December 2015, 450 Gbps in 2014, and 412 Gbps in December 2013, according to ANRT (see also Morocco: Morocco’s International Bandwidth Increases By 73%, December 2017). Source: ANRT Read More →
Algeria: Algeria’s International Bandwidth Reaches 1.050 Tbps, December 2018
Algeria’s international Internet bandwidth reached 1.050 Tbps by December 2018, according to latest statistics released by the Ministère de la Poste, des Télécommunications, des Technologies et du Numérique (MPTTN). This was a 29.6% increase compared to 810.155 Gbps in 2017 (see Algeria: Algeria’s International Bandwidth Increases By 29% During 2017), according to the Ministry, which reports that Algeria’s international bandwidth was previously 630.150 Gbps in 2016, 485.155 Gbps in 2015, 278.0 Gbps in 2014, and 166.0 Gbps in 2013. MPTTN also reports that the total length of optical fibre in Algeria reached 145,120-km by December 2018, compared to 127,372-km in 2017, 76,515-km in 2016, 70,700-km in 2015, 61,556-km in 2014, and 50,800-km in 2013 (see also Algeria: Algerie Telecom’s Fibre Backbone Increases By 6,000-Km During 2017). According to Algerie Presse Service, the CEO of Algerie Telecom said that the operator’s national fibre network reached a total of 140,000-km during... Read More →
Ethiopia: Ethio Telecom And Djibouti Telecom To Use Railway Communication Fibre For Telecom Services
Filed under: Capacity, Fibre Long Haul Tags: Djibouti, Ethiopia
On 31 May 2019, Ethio Telecom announced that it had agreed with Djibouti Telecom to use the fibre optic cable deployed along the Ethio-Djibouti Railway for telecommunication services. The 784-km railway runs from the Ethiopian capital city Addis Ababa to the port city of Djibouti via Dire Dawa and Dewele. This will be a fourth international fibre link between Ethiopia and Djibouti. There are already two cross-border fibre links via Dewele, and a third via Galafi. Ethio Telecom now has multiple cross-border fibre optic routes to submarine cables, via Sudan, Djibouti and Kenya. Ethiopia’s total international bandwidth reached 37.5 Gbps in December 2016 (see Ethiopia: Ethio Telecom’s Fibre Backbone Increases To 21,178-km, International Bandwidth Reaches 37.5 Gbps During 2016). This was split between 17.4 Gbps supplied by terrestrial fibre optic routes via Sudan, 14.9 Gbps via Djibouti, and 4.9 Gbps via Kenya, a total cross-border fibre bandwidth of 37.2 Gbps. The balance of 311 Mbps (2... Read More →
Uganda: Uganda’s International Bandwidth Increases By 57%, June 2018
Uganda’s international Internet bandwidth reached 96.891 Gbps by June 2018, a 57% increase compared to 61.586 Gbps in June 2017 according to latest figures released by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC). The UCC reported a total (inbound plus outbound) international bandwidth of 96.891 Gbps in June 2018, compared to 75.880 Gbps in December 2017, 61.586 Gbps in June 2017, 49.984 Gbps in December 2016, 41.695 Gbps in June 2016, 35.747 Gbps in December 2015, 31.223 Gbps in June 2015, 26.986 Gbps in June 2014, and 25.679 Gbps in June 2013 (see Uganda: Uganda’s International Bandwidth Increases By 52%, September 2017). This total international bandwidth includes both inbound and outbound bandwidth. UCC previously reported a total international bandwidth of 7.727 Gbps in its Annual Market Report 2011/12; UCC reported a “downlink” (inbound) bandwidth of 3.608 Gbps and an “uplink” (outbound) bandwidth of 4.119 Gbps in its 2010/2011 half year report, a total bandwidth (inbound... Read More →
Uganda: Phase 4 of National Fibre Backbone Project Launched In West Nile And Karamoja
On 11 May 2019, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni officially launched phase four of the National Data Transmission Backbone Infrastructure and e-Government Infrastructure (NBI/ EGI) Project in the West Nile and Karamoja regions. The government of Uganda through the National Information Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U) with funding from the World Bank, is implementing the national backbone project to connect districts and towns across the country. According to a government press release, phase four of the NBI project has commenced and will extend to the districts of Pakwach, Nebbi, Arua, Yumbe, Koboko, Adjumani, Katakwi and the border points of Oraba, Vurra and Mpondwe. It will also provide new international connections to neighbouring countries of South Sudan and Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as well as helping position Uganda as a regional communication hub and bring public services closer to people, with 100 government offices in the areas of West Nile and Karamoja to... Read More →
Kenya: Safaricom’s Fibre Network In Kenya Reaches 5,500-Km
Kenya’s leading mobile operator Safaricom has reported that its fibre optic network in Kenya has now reached 5,500-km. The operator’s fibre deployment in the capital city Nairobi and other towns across Kenya compares with 5,000-km in March 2018, 4,190-km in March 2017, 3,236-km in March 2016, 2,010-km by March 2015, and 770-km in March 2014 (see also Kenya: Safaricom’s Fibre Network In Kenya Reaches 5,000-Km). The operator first announced plans to build its own terrestrial fibre optic network in November 2011, and during 2013 began a 5 year program to build its own nationwide metro fibre network (see Kenya: Safaricom Plans To Build Its Own Terrestrial Fibre Optic Network in Kenya). Source: Safaricom Read More →
Senegal: Sonatel’s International Bandwidth Reaches 172 Gbps During 2018
Sonatel announced that its international Internet bandwidth reached 172 Gbps during 2018 in its 2018 annual report, a 115% increase compared to 80 Gbps in 2017 and 40 Gbps in 2016 (see Senegal: Sonatel Doubles International Bandwidth To 80 Gbps During 2017, Expands National Fibre Backbone). Sonatel is connected to the Atlantis-2, SAT-3 and ACE submarine cables which land in Dakar (the capital), and the operator also provides international bandwidth to its neighbouring countries. Sonatel said that during 2018 capacity was upgraded on the SAT-3 cable, work on the extension of the ACE cable from Sao Tomé to South Africa continued (see Africa: ACE Consortium Announces Launch Of Phase II, From Sao Tomé & Principe To South Africa), and that an agreement was signed to land the Main One cable in the capital city of Dakar (see Senegal: Orange And MainOne Sign Agreement To Land The MainOne Cable In Dakar). Source: Sonatel Read More →