EASSY
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) is an undersea fibre optic cable system connecting countries of eastern Africa
to the rest of the world.
EASSy runs from Mtunzini in South Africa
to Port Sudan
in Sudan
, with landing points in nine countries and is connected to at least ten landlocked countries—which will no longer have to rely on satellite Internet access
to carry voice and data services.
EASSy is the highest capacity system serving sub-Saharan Africa, with a 4.72 terabit
per second (Tbit/s), 2 fibre-pair configuration. It is the first to deliver direct connectivity between east Africa and Europe / North America. It is also the only system with built-in resilience end-to-end. EASSy interconnects with multiple international submarine cable networks for diverse, seamless onward connectivity to Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia.
The project, partially funded by the World Bank
, was initiated on January 2003, when a handful of companies investigated its feasibility. The cable entered service on 16 July 2010 with commercial service starting on 30 July 2010.
s are:
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
to the rest of the world.
EASSy runs from Mtunzini in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
to Port Sudan
Port Sudan
Port Sudan is the capital of Red Sea State, Sudan; it has 489,725 residents . Located on the Red Sea, it is the Republic of Sudan's main port city.-History:...
in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, with landing points in nine countries and is connected to at least ten landlocked countries—which will no longer have to rely on satellite Internet access
Satellite Internet access
Satellite Internet access is Internet access provided through satellites. The service can be provided to users world-wide through low Earth orbit satellites. Geostationary satellites can offer higher data speeds, but their signals can not reach some polar regions of the world...
to carry voice and data services.
EASSy is the highest capacity system serving sub-Saharan Africa, with a 4.72 terabit
Terabit
The terabit is a multiple of the unit bit for digital information or computer storage. The prefix tera is defined in the International System of Units as a multiplier of 1012 , and therefore...
per second (Tbit/s), 2 fibre-pair configuration. It is the first to deliver direct connectivity between east Africa and Europe / North America. It is also the only system with built-in resilience end-to-end. EASSy interconnects with multiple international submarine cable networks for diverse, seamless onward connectivity to Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia.
The project, partially funded by the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, was initiated on January 2003, when a handful of companies investigated its feasibility. The cable entered service on 16 July 2010 with commercial service starting on 30 July 2010.
Project milestones
- MoU Signature – December 2003
- Detailed Feasibility Study – March 2004
- Data Gathering Meeting – June 2005
- C&MA Drafting Finalization – March 2006
- Supply Contract Award – September 2006
- Registration / Incorporation of SPV – January 2007
- Construction & Maintenance Agreement (Shareholders' Agreement) Signature (C&MA) – 12 October 2006 to 12 February 2007
- Financial Closure – March 2007
- Supply Contract Signature – March 2007
- Construction Started – March 2008
- Cable Manufacture Complete – November 2009
- Marine Laying commencing – December 2009
- Construction Complete – April 2010
- Live – July 2010
Telecommunications companies of participating nations
- West Indian Ocean Cable Company WIOCC comprising:
- Botswana Telecommunications CorporationBotswana Telecommunications CorporationBotswana Telecommunications Corporation is a telecommunications and Internet service provider in Botswana. BTC is headquartered in Gaborone. It provides telecommunications services all over the country and the majority of its services are in the capital city, Gaborone and the second largest city,...
- DALKOM Somalia
- Djibouti TelecomDjibouti TelecomDjibouti Telecom is a primary telecommunications company of Djibouti, providing landline, mobile and internet service. The company is quartered in Djibouti City.-External links:...
- Gilat Satcom NigeriaGilat Satellite NetworksGilat Satellite Networks is a public company headquartered in Israel that develops and sells VSAT satellite ground stations and related equipment...
- Government of Seychelles
- Lesotho Telecommunications Authority
- Onatel Burundi
- TDM Mozambique
- Telkom KenyaTelkom KenyaTelkom Kenya is the sole provider of landline phone services in Kenya. It was previously a part of the Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation which was the sole provider of both postal and telecommunication services...
- UCOM Burundi
- Uganda Telecom Limited
- Zantel Tanzania
- Botswana Telecommunications Corporation
- MTN Group
- SudatelSudatelSudatel is a telecommunications and Internet service provider in the Sudan. The company is responsible for the construction and maintenance of Sudan's telecom infrastructure. Sudatel is more than 60% owned by the Sudanese government; the remainder being owned by private interests...
Sudan - VodacomVodacomVodacom is a pan-African mobile telecommunications company, and was the 1st cellular network in South Africa. It provides GSM service to more than 35 million customers in South Africa, Tanzania, Lesotho, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Revenue for the year ended 31 March 2008...
/ Telkom South Africa - Botswana Telecommunications CorporationBotswana Telecommunications CorporationBotswana Telecommunications Corporation is a telecommunications and Internet service provider in Botswana. BTC is headquartered in Gaborone. It provides telecommunications services all over the country and the majority of its services are in the capital city, Gaborone and the second largest city,...
- BT GroupBT GroupBT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of...
- Global Marine SystemsGlobal Marine SystemsGlobal Marine Systems is a specialist-shipping company that installs, maintains and repairs submarine communications and power cables.- History :...
- Comores Telecom
- Telma Madagascar
- EtisalatEtisalatEmirates Telecommunications Corporation, branded trade name Etisalat is a UAE based telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 18 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa...
- FT
- Mauritius TelecomMauritius TelecomMauritius Telecom is a telecommunications and Internet service provider in Mauritius, a small republic in the Indian Ocean. The company has about 332,000 fixed telephone lines customers, 650,000 mobile customers, 25,000 customers...
- STC Saudi ArabiaSaudi Telecom CompanySaudi Telecom Group, STC is a Saudi Arabia-based telecommunications company that offers landline, mobile and Internet services.-Background:...
- Bharti AirtelBharti AirtelBharti Airtel Limited , commonly known as Airtel, is an Indian telecommunications company that operates in 20 countries across South Asia, Africa and the Channel Islands. It operates a GSM network in all countries, providing 2G or 3G services depending upon the country of operation...
- NeotelNeotelNeotel Ltd., previously SNO Telecommunications, is the second national operator for fixed line telecommunication services in South Africa. It was unveiled on August 31, 2006 in Kyalami in northern Johannesburg...
- Tanzania Telecommunications Company LimitedTanzania Telecommunications Company LimitedTanzania Telecommunications Company Limited is the oldest and largest fixed line telecommunications company in Tanzania. The company comes forth from the former Tanzania Posts and Telecommunications Corporation in 1993...
Cable landing points
The cable landing pointCable landing point
A cable landing point is the location where a submarine or other underwater cable makes landfall. The term is most often used for the landfall points of submarine telecommunications cables and submarine power cables. The landing will either be direct or via a branch from a main cable using a...
s are:
- Port SudanPort SudanPort Sudan is the capital of Red Sea State, Sudan; it has 489,725 residents . Located on the Red Sea, it is the Republic of Sudan's main port city.-History:...
, Sudan - DjiboutiDjiboutiDjibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
- MogadishuMogadishuMogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
, Somalia - MombasaMombasaMombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....
, Kenya - MoroniMoroni, Comoros-References:...
, Comoros - Dar es SalaamDar es SalaamDar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
, Tanzania - Toliary, Madagascar
- MaputoMaputoMaputo, also known as Lourenço Marques, is the capital and largest city of Mozambique. It is known as the City of Acacias in reference to acacia trees commonly found along its avenues and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. It was famous for the inscription "This is Portugal" on the walkway of its...
, Mozambique - Mtunzini, South Africa
See also
- ACEACE (cable system)The ACE submarine communications cable is a cable system undergoing construction along the west coast of Africa between France and South Africa, planned by the ACE consortium which was initiated on June 5, 2010....
- Main One
- SAT-2SAT-2 (cable system)SAT-2 is a submarine communications cable linking Melkbosstrand, South Africa, to El Medano, Tenerife Island, Spain and Funchal, Madeira islands, Portugal...
- SAT-3/WASCSAT-3/WASC (cable system)SAT-3/WASC or South Atlantic 3/West Africa Submarine Cable is a submarine communications cable linking Portugal and Spain to South Africa, with connections to several West African countries along the route. It forms part of the SAT-3/WASC/SAFE cable system, where the SAFE cable links South Africa...
- SAFESAFE (cable system)The South Africa Far East cable is an optical fiber submarine communications cable linking Melkbosstrand, South Africa to Penang, Malaysia.It was commissioned in 2002 and built by Tyco Submarine Systems of the USA with an initial capacity of 10 Gigabits per second, which is upgradeable to 130...
- SEACOM
- TEAMSTEAMS (cable system)TEAMS is an initiative spearheaded by the government of Kenya to link the country to the rest of the world through a submarine fibre optic cable. It was first proposed as an alternative to EASSy, the East African Submarine Cable System...
- WACSWACS (cable system)WACS is an under-construction submarine communications cable linking South Africa with the United Kingdom along the west coast of Africa which is being constructed by Alcatel-Lucent. The cable is 14,000 km in length, linking from Yzerfontein in the Western Cape of South Africa to London in...