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The Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) is an undersea fibre optic cable system connecting countries in Eastern Africa to the rest of the world.
| EASSy (Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System) | |
|---|---|
Landing points
| |
| Total length | 10,000 km[1] |
| Design capacity | more than 10 Tbit/s[1] |
| Technology | Fiber optics |
| Date of first use | July 16, 2010 |
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 was the highest capacity system serving sub-Saharan Africa until the commissioning of WACS. It has a 2 fibre-pair configuration with a design capacity of more than 10 terabit per second (Tbit/s).[1] It is the first to deliver direct connectivity between east Africa and Europe / North America. It is the only system with built-in resilience end-to-end. EASSy interconnects with multiple international submarine cable networks for onward connectivity to Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia.[2]
The project, partially funded by the World Bank, was initiated in January 2003, when a handful of companies investigated its feasibility. The cable entered service on 16 July 2010,[3] with commercial service starting on 30 July 2010.[4]
- 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 and 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
- West Indian Ocean Cable Company WIOCC comprising:
- Botswana Fibre Networks (BOFINET)
- DALKOM Somalia
- Djibouti Telecom
- Gilat Satcom Nigeria
- Seychelles Cable System
- Lesotho Communications Authority
- Onatel Burundi
- TMCEL Mozambique
- Telkom Kenya
- Libyan Post Telecommunications & Information Technology Company (LPTIC)
- Liquid Telecom
- Uganda Telecom Limited
- Zantel Tanzania
- TelOne Zimbabwe
- MTN Group
- Sudatel Sudan
- Vodacom
- Telkom South Africa
- Botswana Telecommunications Corporation
- BT Group
- Global Marine Systems
- Comores Cables
- Telma Madagascar
- Etisalat
- FT
- Mauritius Telecom
- STC Saudi Arabia
- Bharti Airtel
- Liquid Telecom
- Tanzania Telecommunications Company Limited
The cable landing points are:[5]
- Port Sudan, Sudan
- Djibouti
- Mogadishu, Somalia
- Mombasa, Kenya
- Moroni, Comoros
- Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Toliary, Madagascar
- Maputo, Mozambique
- Mtunzini, South Africa
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