EASSy will use 40Gbps wavelength technology to upgrade its system, which is presently capable of delivering 3.84 terabits per second. EASSy claims to be the largest submarine cable serving Africa and has 10 landing stations across the continent.
The 10,000km submarine cable is owned and operated by a large group of African and international telecoms operators.
“The system has been exceptionally successful since its launch earlier this year and has shown the importance of true network resilience to customers throughout the region,” said Munir Taha, chairman of EASSy.
EASSy is one of three submarine cables to have been established in east Africa within the last few years. Rival cable Seacom was launched in 2009 and also targets key markets such as South Africa, Tanzania and Mozambique, while The East African Marine System (TEAMS) was launched in the same year and connects Mombasa, Kenya with Fujairah in the UAE.
According to Alan Mauldin, research director at TeleGeography, demand for capacity in Africa has been pent up for so long that it now gets consumed very quickly. “One of the region’s largest telecoms problems has now been solved and international connectivity through multiple cables is available,” he commented. “Now it is time to tackle other problems, such as extending access further inland or connecting rural areas.”
