EASSy more than doubles its network design capacity with Alcatel-Lucent’s submarine optical solution

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announces that it has strengthened cooperation with the East Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) consortium with the signature of a contract to more than double the design capacity of the optical submarine cable network landing in East Africa. Based on Alcatel-Lucent’s submarine and terrestrial optical solutions, EASSy will now be able to deliver a regional capacity of 1.4 Terabit/s, the highest capacity in the region, satisfying broadband needs for years to come.

The EASSy submarine cable network will provide connectivity across the continent to support the increase in local traffic from both traditional and new broadband services. Additionally, with interconnection to other submarine cable systems to the North and South, this project will provide an international gateway, crucial for the economic development of the region and for the reduction of the digital divide.

The EASSy submarine network will span nearly 10,000 km linking eight countries from Sudan to South Africa, via Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar and Mozambique. Landings will be located in Port Sudan (Sudan), Djibouti (Djibouti), Mogadishu (Somalia) Mombasa (Kenya), Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania), Toliary (Madagascar), Maputo (Mozambique) and Mtunzini (South Africa). By interconnecting with existing cables and other submarine systems currently under construction, the EASSy submarine cable system will also serve as a supporting infrastructure for these networks.

“This increase in final system capacity is another important step in the development of the African communication infrastructure, where there is a very strong need for affordable capacity”, said Trevor Martins, MTN International, Chairperson of the EASSy Management Committee. “Alcatel-Lucent further proves itself as a trusted partner for its turnkey expertise and cooperation on accommodating the design change without impact on the final delivery date.”

“The upgrade to the submerged equipment will enable the EASSy consortium to support the enhanced capacity required to meet the new bandwidth requirements emerged in the past year,” said Etienne Lafougère, President of Alcatel-Lucent’s submarine network activity. “This design change reflects our capacity to capture our customers requirements and to provide tailored solutions that can easily evolve over time as needed.”