ACE (cable system)
 | |
| Cable type | Submarine communications cable |
|---|---|
| Fate | in service |
| First traffic | December 15, 2012 |
| Design capacity | 5.12 Tbit/s |
| Area served | West African coast |
| Website | www.ace-submarinecable.com |
The ACE (African Coast to Europe) submarine communications cable is a cable system along the west coast of Africa between France and South Africa managed by a consortium of 19 operators & administrations headed by Orange. The consortium agreement was signed on June 5, 2010. The cable was manufactured by Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) and was laid by ships from ASN and France Telecom Marine.
The first phase of the 17,000 km-long fiber optic cable was put in service on December 15, 2012, with an official inauguration ceremony held on December 19, 2012 in Banjul, The Gambia.
The ACE Cable will eventually connect 23 countries, either directly for coastal countries or through land links for landlocked countries, like Mali and Niger.
ACE is the first international submarine cable to land in Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe and Sierra Leone.
ACE consortium
The current members of the consortium are:
- Benin Telecoms
- Cable Consortium of Liberia
- Canalink Africa SL
- Côte d’Ivoire Telecom
- Dolphin Telecom JLT
- Gambia Submarine Cable
- Guinéenne de Large Bande
- International Mauritania Telecom
- MEO
- MTN
- Orange (France)
- Orange Cameroun
- Orange Mali
- Orange Niger
- Republic of Equatorial Guinea
- Republic of Gabon
- République of Cameroun
- Sierra Leone Cable Company
- Sonatel
- STP Cabo
Agreements are in place for the later entry of other operators or administrations along the cable route.
Topology
The ACE system uses wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology, which is currently the most advanced for submarine cables. With WDM, cable capacity can be increased without additional submarine work. With an overall potential capacity of 5.12 Tbit/s, the system will support the 40 Gbit/s technology from its launch.
Landing points
The cable landing points are planned to be in the following countries and territories:[1]
- Penmarc'h (Finistère), France
- Carcavelos (Lisbon), Portugal
- Casablanca, Morocco
- Tenerife, Canary Islands (Spain)
- Nouakchott, Mauritania
- Dakar, Senegal
- Banjul, the Gambia
- Conakry, Guinea
- Freetown, Sierra Leone
- Monrovia, Liberia
- Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Accra, Ghana
- Cotonou, Benin
- Lagos, Nigeria
- São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe
- Kribi, Cameroon
- Bata, Equatorial Guinea
- Libreville, Gabon
- Muanda, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Luanda, Angola
- Swakopmund, Namibia
- Yzerfontein, South Africa
Besides the above landing points, connectivity is extended to landlocked countries Mali and Niger via land links.
See also
List of international submarine communications cables
Individual cable systems off the west coast of Africa include:
References
- "Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) Submarine Cable Consortium signs landmark Agreement in Paris" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-06-08.
- "ACE (Africa Coast to Europe) submarine cable welcomes new members" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-12-01.
- "ACE (Africa Coast to Europe) submarine cable extended to South Africa" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-06-16.
