Optical & Fixed Networks

Telecom Egypt has announced plans to launch what it calls the Hybrid African Ring Path (HARP), a new subsea system that will outline the African continent, forming the shape of a harp. The launch is due to take place by 2023.

Guinea is planning to revive the country’s shuttered fixed line provider Sotelgui (Societe des Telecoms de Guinee) through international investment.

Following yesterday’s news of a potential agreement to set up a new fibre optic broadband wholesaler in Brazil, this deal has now been confirmed.

Telefonica is reportedly close to agreeing a deal with Canadian pension fund CDPQ (Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec) to set up a new fibre optic broadband wholesaler in Brazil.

The Maldives Sri Lanka Cable system (MSC) is set to deliver high speed broadband connectivity between the two nations.

Digital infrastructure company Equinix Inc and telecoms giant Vodafone are to build a new subsea hub as part of the massive 2Africa cable system that will directly connect 16 countries in Africa to Europe and the Middle East.

A 1,200-kilometre advanced subsea fibre optic cable system is being planned by FB Submarine Partners, Xtera, IT International Telecom and GigNet. It will connect Florida in the US and Cancun in Mexico.

KKR, a leading global investment firm, has entered into an agreement with international operator Telefónica to establish Chile’s first open access wholesale fibre optics company.

Brazilian operator Altarede Telecom has made what it calls a record investment in products from DWDM specialist Padtec to expand routes in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo.

Ocean Networks (ONI), which develops submarine cable systems for governments, carriers, content providers and research and education groups, has announced the launch of its Caribbean Express (CX) project, an 18-fibre pair subsea cable system linking Florida to Panama and taking in Mexico and Colombia.

Telecom Fiji Limited (TFL) is upgrading parts of its fibre network as part of a broader investment plan.

BringCom Incorporated, a provider of connectivity solutions in Africa, has announced the completion of its pan-African fibre ring network.

Sao Tome and Principe’s incumbent provider CST (Companhia Santomense de Telecomunicacoes) has announced the expansion of its fibre optic network to the north of the island nation.

Nokia and Saudi operator Mobily have extended their managed services partnership by signing a three-year agreement under which Nokia will manage and maintain Mobily’s radio and transport network in Riyadh and other regions.

Colombia could see a major boost to fixed access with a new agreement that, it is claimed, will provide the capital Bogotá with the largest fibre optic network coverage for fibre to the home (FTTH) in Latin America.

The construction of Africa-1, a new subsea telecom system to connect Africa, the Middle East and Europe, is now under way.

Brazilian enterprise operator Softdados has deployed Infinera’s GX Series Compact Modular Platform and XTM Series across its metro and long-haul networks to increase network capacity to meet the growing needs of internet service providers (ISPs) in Brazil.

Asia Consultancy Group (ACG), a leading independent private company providing telecommunications infrastructure and managed and engineering services across Afghanistan, has signed a multi-year contract with Indian networking products company Tejas Networks.

There have been some significant recent announcements about international cooperation – actual or potential – between Saudi Arabia and a number of European countries involving digital technology.

Cable technology supplier Nexans opened a new plant in Morocco for its telecoms business unit, a move to bolster its industrial capabilities to cater to the European and North African markets.

Vogel Telecom has partnered with Ciena to deploy Sao Paulo’s first 800G optical network.

IT and network technologies giant NEC Corporation has signed a contract for a cable project involving Palau, an archipelago of over 500 islands, part of the Micronesia region in the western Pacific Ocean.

Plans to increase fibre production are often noteworthy, but the announcement by HFCL Limited, one of India's largest optic fibre manufacturers, that it is planning to increase fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) cable production by 33 percent at its Hyderabad facility could be very significant.

A pilot project, recently launched in Uganda, aims to demonstrate more cost-efficient ways in which both electricity and ICT can be brought to rural areas. It comes at a time of renewed growth for the country’s telecoms sector.

A new fibre optic deployment in Bolivia has brought broadband connectivity to residents of the highest city in the world.

Telecom Egypt, Egypt’s first integrated telecom operator and one of the largest subsea cable operators in the region, has announced an agreement with Google.

CETIN, which owns and operates the largest electronic communications network in the Czech Republic, covering 99.6 percent of the population, has entered into a co-investment agreement with T-Mobile on the deployment of an FTTH network.

The US government warned Pacific island nations that discounted subsea cables from Chinese companies pose a security threat, as an international project is underway in the region.

NEC Corporation India announced the completion of its flagship optical submarine cable system between Chennai and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (A&N Islands) for state-owned Indian operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).

Beeline Kazakhstan has announced that it is conducting a fixed-wireless access (FWA) trial in the city of Makinsk.

The Maldives-Sri Lanka Cable (MSC) has successfully landed in the Maldives, connecting the coastal Sri Lankan capital Colombo to Hulhumalé.