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France Telecom-Orange launches service for ACE submarine cableDec 31, 2012 (Datamonitor via COMTEX) -- France Telecom-Orange and the other members of the Africa Coast to Europe, or ACE, consortium have announced that the ACE submarine cable is now operational for the first phase linking France and Sao Tome & Principe. The cable, which will extend as far as South Africa for the second phase, provides connectivity to broadband internet in Africa and will add extra capacity to existing international networks. Nearly 12,000 km of optical fiber running along the west coast of Africa have been deployed to connect 13 countries from France to Sao Tome & Principe. Two landlocked countries, Mali and Niger, will also be connected through extensions to the terrestrial network. Finally, Nigeria will also be connected to the cable in 2013. Seven of these countries The Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Sao Tome & Principe and Sierra Leone will benefit from a direct connection to a submarine cable enabling them to enjoy optimal access to the international broadband network. By using this new network, the telecoms operators in these countries will now be able to develop innovative broadband services that are essential to their economic and social development. The ACE cable will also contribute to the development of multinational companies present in Africa by improving connectivity between the local subsidiaries and their global networks. This will allow them to develop added-value services in areas such as Unified Communications, IT and customer relations. Through links to other submarine cables, ACE also provides an additional western route for traffic between Europe and Asia via Africa. The cable's construction amounts to a total investment of around $700 million for the consortium, with around $250 million financed by the Group and its subsidiaries. This major investment furthers two strategic objectives of France Telecom-Orange: to provide widespread access to the internet in the more than twenty African countries where the Group is present and to continue to improve the quality of service provided by the network in all of its subsidiaries. http://www.datamonitor.com Republication or redistribution, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without prior written consent. Datamonitor shall not be liable for errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon |