Partners in an extension to a submarine cable system connecting Asia, Africa and Europe are claiming it will deliver a major bandwidth boost for Africa as it enters a new phase.
PCCW Global, the international operating division of HKT, a Hong Kong telecommunications service provider, and PEACE Cable International Network Co Limited, the company behind the 15,000 km-long submarine cable system, have announced that they will cooperate on the south extension of the Pakistan East Africa Connecting Europe (PEACE) system.
This cooperation, say the partners, positions PEACE as a major cable system heading south from the crucial high-speed Europe-Asia route, in a move that will deliver far-reaching connectivity benefits to the entire southern African region.
New technologies deployed in the construction phase of the project will enable each country’s bandwidth allocation to be modified during the lifetime of the cable. Once the cable is live, individual cable stakeholders will have the ability to independently structure the network according to their own specifications, without affecting others using the same cable system.
The partners say that the PEACE South extension will have an important impact on connectivity from its current African landing point in Mombasa all the way to South Africa, opening new Southern African Development Community (SADC) and East African markets to cable partners.
In addition, PEACE South will provide alternative routes for existing systems, connecting southern Africa to Europe and Asia with newer, faster high-bandwidth technology and assisting the region to improve internet usage and reduce the cost of connectivity.
When completed, the high-speed PEACE cable system will offer very low latency routes from China to both Europe and Africa.
PEACE Cable International Network Co Ltd, founded in 2018 and registered in Hong Kong, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hengtong Optic-Electric, a global information and energy network service provider. PEACE aims to be a leading international submarine cable operator.
