WACS Arrives Near Cape Town

Submarine communications cable the West Africa Cable System (WACS) has landed in Yzerfontein, near Cape Town. The 14,000km cable, which is expected to dock at 14 different landing points along the Western coast of Africa, before linking to the Canary Islands, Portugal and the UK, is set to commence commercial service in 1Q12. The total capacity of the system is 5.12Tbps, and at least 500Gbps will be lit at launch.

Investors in the WACS cable include South African telcos MTN, Vodacom, Telkom South Africa, Broadband Infraco and Neotel.


Angus Hay, head of strategic business development at Neotel, commented: ‘This is the dawn of a new era in the South African telecommunications industry. 


Since the launch of SEACOM and later EASSy, international bandwidth to South Africa has increased. The landing of WACS sets Neotel ahead of its competitors, as it is the only telecommunications operator that has direct access to all five undersea cables landing in South Africa: WACS, SEACOM, EASSy, SAT-3 and SAFE. 


For Neotel this means that our customers are highly unlikely to experience downtime since the traffic can be moved from one cable to another in case of any cable failure. The level of redundancy, reliability and security will now increase’.

Telkom SA Prepares to Spread Into the Rest of Africa

SOUTH African Telecommunications operator, Telkom, has secured operating licences in east, south and west Africa, the company revealed on Monday in an interview.

Responding to questions, Telkom spokesman Pynee Chetty said the telecoms giant had secured operating licences in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Swaziland and Namibia.
“Telkom’s ambition is to become a significant Information Communication Technology (ICT) player in Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on the enterprise market.

“Apart from the satellite-based (SAT3) cable system, Telkom has invested in the new WACS, EASSy and SAFE submarine cables systems to further strengthen its position with regards to connectivity on the African continent,” said Chetty.

He said the operations in those countries consisted of consumer and enterprise solutions within the respective markets.

Chetty said Telkom would continue to service all these markets and acquire capabilities, through partnerships or own assets, to meet the demands of the local African enterprise and global multinational customers.
“The company continues to investigate opportunities in Africa and endeavours to expand into countries where customer demand warrants such actions.
“As far as the specific products and services are concerned, it is logical to utilise existing skills and capabilities acquired in the domestic market as far as possible when entering new markets,” said Chetty.

Wananchi Gears to Roll Out in Nine Countries With Cisco Deal

Kenyan ISP Wananchi Online has signed a contract with US technology solutions firm Cisco to rollout triple-play services across nine countries in East Africa. The deal is supported by East Africa Capital Partners and Viscous Capital, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cisco.

Wananchi Online, which claims to be the only triple-play operator in East Africa intends to tap into markets in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, Ethiopia, Sudan and Zambia. The contract will see Wananchi Online deploying Cisco's integrated end-to-end network technology solutions - encompassing its ‘Borderless Networks’ and collaboration and data centre virtualization solutions.

Wananchi intends to extend a backhaul and last-mile fibre network across Nairobi and Mombasa in Kenya and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. It will also build a WiMAX wireless network to provide uncapped internet access in smaller urban centres in Kenya.

The company will supplement its WiMAX and fibre offerings with VSAT services for small and medium businesses, particularly in remote locations in East Africa. Its long-term plan is to take fibre to the smallest towns in the region. East Africa Capital Partners’ Richard Bell has admitted that Wananchi is keen to develop a network in South Africa too, but: ‘South Africa is still a very closed and regulated market. East Africa has leapfrogged ahead of South Africa. If we could get a licence to build a cable network in South Africa, we’d be there in a second.’

Mark Schneider, chairman of the Wananchi Group commented: ‘The entertainment market for both home and corporate customers in Africa as a whole continues to be reshaped in light of technological advancements and new industry partnerships. The Wananchi Group's key objective is to expand our portfolio and enhance our commercial proposition, revenues and reputation. Cisco will help us to continuously deliver the necessary technology enhancements to our infrastructure to serve our ever-growing customer needs and remain at the forefront of delivering new and innovative services to our customers.’

Executives at Wananchi and Cisco said that the cost of international bandwidth in the region is now as cheap as it is anywhere in the world - thanks to the recent launches of EASSY, SEACOM and TEAMS submarine cables – making this type of increased investment possible.

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’.

Investor Celebrate's EASSy Launch

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 Comoros, 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’.

EASSy Lands In Tanzania

According to a report in the Tanzanian Daily News, the ship laying a 5000km long submarine fibre-optic component of the East Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) landed in Tanzania, at Msasani Peninsula, on 6 April. Once completed the EASSy cable will be capable of delivering data transmission of 1.4Tbps.

West Indian Ocean Cable Company CEO, Chriss Wood, who was present at the landing site, said: ‘Interconnection with other undersea international cable systems will enable traffic on EASSy to seamlessly connect to Europe, North and South America, the Middle East and Asia, thereby enhancing the east coast of Africa’s connectivity to the global telecommunications network.’ The new submarine cable has landing points in nine African countries and will provide backhaul for a further dozen landlocked countries, enabling improved connectivity for the East African region. EASSy comprises of a 10,000km submarine cable system along the east coast of Africa, with landing stations in Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Comoros, Madagascar, Mozambique and South Africa.

Madagascar Connects To EASSy

Madagascar has been connected to the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy), AfricaNews.com reports. Fixed line incumbent Telecom Malagasy (Telma) has announced that it has already put in place a national backbone that will allow it to connect its subscribers to the cable, and it is expected that the arrival of the link will allow for the development of outsourcing activities, such as call centres. EASSy will supposedly enable the transfer of data at speeds 40 times faster than dial-up connections, and 27 operators from 22 countries across Africa’s eastern coast have invested approximately USD260 million in the deployment of the cable so far.

The arrival of the EASSy connection is the second significant cable landing reported in Madagascar in the last twelve months.  In June 2009 Madagascar’s largest mobile operator by subscribers, Orange Madagascar, announced the completion of its submarine cable project, LION, connecting the cable at Tamatave in the Toamasina region. Funded by Orange Madagascar, France Telecom and Mauritius Telecom, the 1,800km broadband cable links with the existing SAT3/WASC and SAFE cable and has a capacity of 1.3Tbps, and it also connects Madagascar with the islands of Reunion and Mauritius.

Ethiopia Signs Up for SEACOM

Ethiopian fixed line incumbent, Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC), has inked a deal with SEACOM for an international backhaul link via Djibouti, Computerworld reports. As a result of the deal ETC expects to lower the cost of bandwidth, and subsequently the cost to consumers for telecoms services. Commenting on the development, Amare Amsalu, ETC’s CEO, said: ‘SEACOM is ideally suited to provide international connectivity that will complement ETC's extensive national initiative to link the country's businesses and end-users with fibre broadband connectivity,’ adding, ‘The availability of high-quality broadband at lower prices will accelerate economic development and educational initiatives that will enhance lives and will also establish Ethiopia as an important commercial centre for Africa and as a regional transit point for other service providers.’

Under the terms of the deal it is understood that ETC will connect its domestic network to an undersea cable system that has been extended to the shores of the Red Sea. SEACOM has partnered with SEA-ME-WE 3, which operates a cable from South East Asia to Europe; TEAM, which has a Kenya to Dubai link; and the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy), which has landing points in six countries. Currently ETC provides its voice and data services via expensive satellite connectivity, operated by Hughes International, although it does also have a low capacity bandwidth connection via Port Sudan.

The agreement complements the ongoing Next Generation Network (NGN) project being undertaken by ETC, which aims to enhance and improve the country’s existing telecoms infrastructure nationwide. The USD1.5 billion project encompasses work on both fixed line and wireless networks, as well as the national fibre-optic backbone.

Eassy To reach Kemya by 31st March

According to a report by Reuters, citing Kenyan MP Samuel Poghisio, the government expects the Eastern African Submarine Cable System (EASSy) to land by 21 March. EASSy follows two other cable systems which have landed in Kenya over the last twelve months, SEACOM and TEAMS, and will further boost bandwidth availability and connectivity across the region.

Poghisio said: ‘By 21 March, we should have the cable fully landed here. It has been a long wait so Kenya is obviously excited to be hosting and that is additional capacity for our computers, for media, for development. The challenge is still the uptake of this capacity that is coming to the east African coast.’

Econet Subsidiary Plans Wireless Network

Liquid Telecom, a majority-owned subsidiary of Zimbabwean cellco Econet Wireless, has revealed ambitious plans for building an international and national fibre-optic transmission network. In an interview with BalancingAct, Liquid’s CEO Nic Rudnick listed the company’s aims. These include: building its own links to international submarine fibre-optic cables (with bandwidth allocations on SEACOM and EASSy systems pending); a 7,500km domestic fibre networks linking all major cities; an international fibre network linking to eight other countries (Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia and Namibia in a first phase, and a proposed second phase reaching Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi); metro fibre networks in Harare and Bulawayo; and proposed metro networks in two other southern African countries. The network infrastructure is being built by Huawei Technologies of China.

Rudnick indicated that most of the traffic on the network would be Econet’s initially, but that third-party traffic could account for the majority in due course. Econet Wireless set up Liquid Telecom in an attempt to achieve lower international transmission rates than those possible via third-party links to South Africa. The cellco’s development plans for Liquid, which currently operates via satellite bandwidth, were put on hold during Zimbabwe’s economic crash.

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe’s internet subsidiary Ecoweb already operates a fibre-optic backbone covering Harare and Bulawayo, whilst the country’s incumbent PSTN operator TelOne is pursuing a project to build a nationwide high speed fibre network, but has faced obstacles raising the necessary funding. Meanwhile the commercial launch of the EASSy consortium international fibre system has suffered delays and is now expected to be operational in August 2010.

EASSy Arrives At Kwa-Zulu Natal

South African mobile group MTN has confirmed that the East African Submarine System (EASSy) landed at Mtunzini on the north coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa this weekend. MTN Group's Trevor Martins, who is also the EASSy management committee chairman, said the completion of EASSy will boost broadband capacity and facilitate ongoing efforts to provide its customers with more affordable access to broadband.

Martins added: ‘Over the past years MTN has been a pioneer in pursuing opportunities by investing in technologies, businesses and licences which enhance our delivery of services in data and internet protocol connectivity.

As part of a larger strategic portfolio, EASSy is one of such investments and we are excited about the cable landing in Mtunzini. The increased bandwidth that will be available as a result of our investments in these submarine networks will capacitate both ISPs and our mobile operations in markets largely serviced by costly satellite bandwidth, thus enabling MTN to open up large-scale access to international broadband to our valued customers.’ The network is scheduled for a commercial launch in the second quarter of 2010.

EASSy In Mozambique

Installation of the first cable landing station of the East African Submarine System (EASSy) will commence this week in Mozambique, according to an announcement by the consortium's largest investor The West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC).

The twelve-telco strong consortium will roll out landing stations in nine African countries and provide high speed terrestrial connectivity to around a dozen landlocked nations. Cable laying is scheduled for completion in April 2010, with a ready-for-service date set for end-June.

MTN, Neotel Plan to Build Fibre-Optic Network

South African operators MTN and Neotel have signed a joint agreement to co-build a national long-distance fibre-optic network. The network will cover a distance of 5,000 km, connecting the major centres across South Africa.

The first route of the national fibre network will extend from Gauteng to KwaZulu-Natal, incorporating Pietermaritzburg and Durban. Construction of the first leg is expected to commence in the first week of March 2009 with a completion date scheduled before the Fifa World Cup 2010.

The network will provide both MTN and Neotel with bandwidth capacity to carry more voice and data traffic at higher speeds over greater distances using less power than copper cables. MTN said that its initial network will have a capacity in the Tbps range. The initial route will assist MTN and Neotel to link up with the undersea cables such as Eassy and Seacom currently under construction along the eastern coast of Africa.