There is no debating how important Internet connectivity is, by extension, fast Internet connectivity – the type made possible by fiber.
It is in no doubt Huawei Technologies Ltd, a Chinese Company is taking car of proper construction and functioning of the multi-billion national optic fibre backbone infrastructure for Uganda.
But in a further boost for African internet connectivity, Huawei Marine has announced that it will partner with PCCW Global to construct the first submarine cable between Mauritius and Rodrigues Island.
This will be Huawei’s 12th submarine cable system deployed in the African region to meet increasing demand for internet connectivity.
Located north-east of Mauritius, Rodrigues is a small volcanic island, with its local telecommunications services currently provided by satellite connectivity. PCCW Global has agreed with Mauritius Telecom to construct and maintain a high speed submarine cable connecting the Indian Ocean Islands of Rodrigues and Mauritius which will vastly improve connectivity for Rodrigues.
The 700km submarine cable, has a design capacity of 16Tbit/s. Huawei Marine will provide the end to end solution and deploy the system with a ready for service date in 2019. When commissioned, the system will cater for increased bandwidth demand of Rodrigues residents and business enterprises over the next 25 years.
Mr. Frederick Chui, Senior Vice President of Global Data Sales, PCCW Global, said, “This project is very exciting for us because we are using our experience gained in designing, building, and maintaining submarine cables around the world to assist another service provider, in this case Mauritius Telecom, to commission their own fully-maintained cable investment. This completely eliminates any risk in the development, maintenance and operation of what might otherwise have been a technically daunting project.”
Mike Constable, Chief Executive of Huawei Marine said, “We are excited by the PCCW Global partnership which will revolutionise the broadband infrastructure of Rodrigues by providing a step-change in high-speed internet connectivity and facilitate the growth of digital communications. This is the 12th submarine cable system we have deployed in the African region, which reinforces the confidence in our technology and robust network solutions to further enable the transformation of the region’s digital economy. “
