Taking a step closer to completing a valuable new route for the global telecommunications sector, Angola Cables, has announced the completion of the marine survey for the South Atlantic Cable System (SACS), as well as the start of cable loading on the Angolan side of SACS. Marking an important milestone in the development of the globally relevant project, when completed, SACS will interconnect with the Monet cable system — connecting the United States and Brazil — and WACS, the West Africa Cable System.
SACS is a 40 Tbps cable — 6,165 km in length — with four fi bre pairs that will connect Angola to Brazil, linking Africa and the Americas. (Each fi bre pair is capable of transmitting 100 wavelengths with a bandwidth of 100Gbit/s.) Angola Cables is one of the 12 members of the consortium that manages WACS (and one of its largest shareholders), a cable system which provides carrier level services to operators in Angola and SubSaharan Africa across 11 countries. As a 14,530 km cable running from Yzerfontein (South Africa) to London (UK), WACS has four fi bre pairs and includes 14 landing points, 12 along the western coast of Africa (including Cape Verde and Canary Islands) and two in Europe (Portugal and England). With the marine survey successfully completed, Angola Cables assures that the cable will be deployed in the best route, thus avoiding hazardous points, a crucial factor in ensuring longevity of SACS.
Completion of the marine survey means that fi nal manufacturing can be completed and any minor route and/or cable type adjustments can be fi ne-tuned based on the actual survey fi ndings. With the loading of the Pre-Laid Shore End (PLSE) the construction of SACS is underway.
For this aspect of the cable system, Angola Cables commissioned NEC Japan and contracted Ocean Specialists, Inc (OSI) to oversee the construction process, all to assure the highest levels of quality. “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 off er the fi rst direct, high-capacity southern transatlantic connection.
