ACE submarine cable extends to SA

Time to get out the marshmallows.... so when Telkom crash and burn, we can toast our marshmallows in the fire :D

Good news. Hope it won't be a case of IBIWISI tho...
 
ssong said:
EASSy is definitely bringing bandwidth to the continent. Only problem is that it is a traditional closed-club cartel and probably unlikely to be terribly competitive until there is serious pressure.

Well, actually it is not completely traditional. The World Bank have funded a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) within the cartel in order to ensure that it is not a completely closed club. However this is probably irrelevant as all of those negotiations took place when EASSy was the only new cable planned for sub-Saharan Africa back in 2005. Competition will be the price driver.
Click to expand...

the reason I ask is that on the maps it does not show it connecting to any other continents. Only the East Coast of Africa.
 
From Telkom's 20F again...

In addition, on March 9, 2007 the Eastern Africa Submarine System, or EASSy, supply contract was signed by a 23-member EASSy consortium with Alcatel-Lucent. The supply contract came into force on March 20, 2008 and manufacturing has already commenced.

Telkom invested approximately US$23 million and will have an ownership interest in the EASSy cable system of approximately 8%.

The EASSy cable will connect to South Africa at the same landing point as the SAFE cable in Mtunzini, north of Durban.
 
Garyvdh said:
the reason I ask is that on the maps it does not show it connecting to any other continents. Only the East Coast of Africa.
Click to expand...

Hmm... fair point. The map is a bit confusing in that regard. It doesn't really represent all the existing connectivity and there is a lot in the Mediterranean. I'll have to think of a way to represent it without the map turning into a rats nest.

Short answer is that if you have EASSy capacity and you want to terminate in one of the big European hubs, you will have to buy onward capacity as well. Onward capacity options through the Mediterranean include the EIG, Reliance-FLAG, and IMeWe cables.
 
Garyvdh said:
so which other cables does it connect to, to extend bandwidth? looks like it connects to SAFE on the South Side, but I wonder which one in the North?
Click to expand...

It does'nt, it will connect to SDH equipement of some sort. From there you coul possible connect it to other cable systems but why would independant operators do that.
 
ponder said:
It does'nt, it will connect to SDH equipement of some sort. From there you coul possible connect it to other cable systems but why would independant operators do that.
Click to expand...
So it wont bring anything extra? Initially at least
 
EaSSy will terminate at the existing Melkbosstrand landing station and bring with it plenty of additional bandwidth!

ACE - I'm not too sure about.
 
Just_Ice said:
So it wont bring anything extra? Initially at least
Click to expand...

No, not what I said. The cable (like all other cables) don't connect to other cables at the landing stations. They operate independantly, connected to DWDM equipement and then to SDH equipment. They could be connected via a digital cross connect but it does not make sense for different cable operators/consortiums to do this. If one company is part of many consortiums then they could connect their share together for load balancing & resilience.

Yes, it will bring extra bandwidth.
 
I agree with you. MBS = Telkom, part of many consortia including EaSSy.
 
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