A marine survey has been completed for the South Atlantic Cable System (SACS), meaning work can begin on the system that will connect the west coast of Africa with the Americas.
SACS, which is expected to be completed in 2018, will interconnect with the Monet cable system – connecting the United States and Brazil – and WACS, the West Africa Cable System.
Developer Angola Cables has announced the completion of the marine survey, while cable loading has begun on the Angolan side of SACS. The 40 Tbps cable is 6,165 kilometres in length and has four fibre pairs that will connect Angola to Brazil, linking Africa and the Americas.
Each fibre pair is capable of transmitting 100 wavelengths with a bandwidth of 100Gbit/s, with SACS at completion to provide carrier level services to operators in Angola and Sub-Saharan Africa across 11 countries.
The completion of the marine survey means the cable will be deployed in the best route, thus avoiding hazardous points, which Angola Cables said is a crucial factor in ensuring the longevity of SACS.
Final manufacturing can now be completed and any minor route or cable type adjustments can be fine-tuned based on the survey findings. With the loading of the Pre-Laid Shore End (PLSE) the construction of SACS is underway.
“We have worked closely with our partners and suppliers to ensure the highest possible value of the SACS network for our customers,” said Antonio Nunes, CEO of Angola Cables.
“As part of our global connectivity strategy, SACS will offer the first direct, high-capacity southern transatlantic connection.”
Artur Mendes, COO for Angola Cables, said these key milestones meant the SACS cable is on target for completion and sales are underway for the delivery of services by the middle of 2018.
“Increasingly, customers are turning to the southern transatlantic route for diversification and security. SACS, coupled with Monet and the existing WACS cable, provide unparalleled value for which we are seeing very high demand in the marketplace,” he said.