Huawei Marine Networks has announced the completion of work on a subsea cable linking Africa to Europe
The global submarine network provider upgraded a 11,450km stretch of cable linking South Africa to Portugal, as well as a further section between Portugal and the United Kingdom (UK), using its latest 100G transmission solution.
The line forms part of the West Africa Cable System (WACS), which was commissioned in 2012 to link southern Africa to Europe.
“We are constantly working to improve the capabilities of the WACS network while maintaining an economically viable and flexible service for customers,” said Vishen Maharaj, chairperson of the WACS consortium’s Management Committee. “It is our pleasure to cooperate with Huawei Marine to significantly expand the WACS network, which is a key part of this effort.”
The upgrade uses the Chinese multinational’s 3rd generation Soft Decision-Forward Error Correction (SD-FEC) and bit interleaved technologies which optimize the available optical spectrum by guaranteeing the compatibility of 100 Gb/s channels with 10 Gb/s channels on the existing network.
“With our advanced technology, Huawei Marine has achieved 100G ultra-long haul transmission and offered the WACS consortium a cost-effective solution that substantially increases and enhances network connectivity, operational efficiency and the end-user experience in these growth regions,” said Huawei Marine Networks CEO Mike Constable.
