4 October 2018
SAEX have announced that the survey is to begin for the SAEx1 project to deliver a South Atlantic Express cable running 7,600km from Cape Town to Fortaleza in Brazil with a branch to St Helena. The contract for the desk top study, permitting and survey activities has been signed between SAEx International Ltd and Alcatel Submarine Networks, a subsidiary of Nokia.
The fibre optic cable project will deliver superfast broadband to St Helena through a submarine cable. This will provide significant benefits to us, particularly as we currently rely on a satellite for internet access.
The next steps in the project are for a desk top survey to be completed, permitting to be achieved and the marine route survey to be undertaken. The progress of the project can be tracked at www.saex.net
Managing Director of SAEx, Rosalind Thomas, said:
“SAEx will support efficiency in Asian and African connectivity by adding a direct low-latency route that’s able to address the growing capacity requirements for Data Centre Interconnect globally. Additionally, it will further evolve South Africa’s positioning as a global hub, providing a direct link between the Americas & Asia, simplifying & enhancing communications between the 5 most populous countries in the world.”
President & CEO of Alcatel Submarine Networks, Philippe Piron, said:
“We are delighted to work with SAEx for this significant project, creating new and diverse routes around the globe at a time of tremendous growth in African broadband, mobile and cloud based applications that are driving service providers’ demand for more connectivity options with higher reliability. This project confirms Alcatel Submarine Networks’ turn-key expertise in helping operators address the fast growth of data-intensive services and applications.”
SHG Government Economist, Nicole Shamier, commented:
‘This is extremely exciting news for St Helena, as we move one step closer to achieving faster and more reliable broadband. Our priority now is to make sure that we are ‘Cable Ready’; ensuring that the community can make the most of the opportunities provided by the Fibre Optic Cable’.
We would like to hear from you about how the Fibre Optic Cable will benefit you and your work. Please help by undertaking our short online survey https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/VSVLQXP
The SAEX press release is available at https://www.saex.net/saex-and-alcatel-submarine-networks-begin-survey-for-saex-cable.html
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SHG
4 October 2018