EASSy Formally Launched

Seven months after commencing cable installation, West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC), the specially created African investment company jointly owned by 14 African telcos and additionally funded by a number of global development finance institutions, has formally announced the launch of its 1.4Tbps, 10,002km fibre-optic submarine cable system.

East African Submarine System (EASSy) runs along the east coast of Africa, from South Africa to Sudan, and boasts onward connection to global markets. Completed on time and on budget, EASSy promises to enable affordable, reliable delivery of fast internet access for African users and enhanced voice and data services for the international marketplace. EASSy will enhance global connectivity to and from 21 countries in eastern and southern Africa, landing at nine countries: South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, the Comores, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti and Sudan.

WIOCC CEO Chris Wood commented: ‘Not only does our cable system provide the lowest latency internet connections and best ever voice and data service reliability to this region of Africa, but our unique approach to contract capacity and duration also provides businesses with the crucial flexibility they desire’.

Tanzania Starts Laying US$600 million Undersea Cable

Tanzania's efforts to set up a communication system to connect international broadband networks started with the laying of a US$600 million undersea cable in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday.

An official from the Seacom Company, the private firm implementing the project, said that the undersea fibre optic cable has been laid down in the Indian Ocean water of commercial capital Dar es Salaam. The trials for the new communication system have been set for March 2009.

Speaking to reporters in Dar es Salaam, Seacom Tanzania managing director Anna Kahama said the project was expected to be complete by June this year. The new technology, which is alternative to the satellite system, is set to lower telecommunications costs by 95 percent, Kahama said.

"Currently, satellite costs about US$300 per megabyte per second while the use of fibre optic cables will cost US$100 per megabite per second," she said.

This is the first fibre optic cable of its kind in East Africa. The cable will be connected to the fibre optic centres in Mozambique, South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, India and Djibouti.

Four Tanzanians are currently undergoing training in India on how the system works. On returning they will assume the positions of station manager, engineer and cable station technical technicians at a centre in Dar es Salaam.

Seacom will be the system's service provider on the East Coast of Africa, linking Southern and East Africa, Europe and Southern Asia.

The company's construction manager, Chriss Albert, said the technology was now common in most parts of the world - except Africa.

"This is high-performance optical transmission equipment," he said. "It connects customers to inland terrestrial networks and other cable landing stations all over the world."