Alcatel, the world leader in optical networking, is proud to announce the inauguration of SAT-3/WASC DWDM submarine cable system. Entirely managed from end-to-end by Alcatel, who offered a turnkey wet & dry solution and delivered the system on due time, the SAT-3/WASC project links Portugal to South Africa. It ensures a high-rate connection between Europe and several countries along the Western coast of Africa.
"We are delighted to inaugurate SAT-3/WASC network as the symbol of the success of this project, involving several countries and allowing Africa to benefit from a high-capacity link well adapted to new telecommunications applications, such as the Internet," said Kobus Stoeder, Chairman of SAT-3/WASC consortium. "Furthermore, thanks to its interconnections with the world-wide web and as its on-going upgrade proves it, this network shows that it is increasingly important to construct optical networks connecting the South to the North."
"We are proud to have contributed to the success of SAT-3/WASC", said Jean Godeluck, President of Alcatel`s submarine network activity. "From the early design of the system to its installation via its manufacturing, Alcatel demonstrates its unique capability to manage and deliver on-time ultra-long haul solutions, combining submarine and terrestrial parts. Moreover, we are the sole vendor able to implement a seamless system management platform with such great flexibility."
This network consists of a core backbone with various diversions radiating out to other countries. The system is designed to support four wavelengths at 2.5Gbit/s, connecting all the concerned countries in the Western coast of Africa (refer to map) and five wavelengths at 10Gbit/s between Portugal and South Africa. The first connection responds to regional telecom needs for both voice and data while the second one implements a high speed link between Europe and Africa. It highlights the advantages of submarine networks regarding flexibility, the rapid turnaround time of the implementation of the project and the ability to provide a large, upgradable bandwidth. Furthermore, it can play the role of restoration for other submarine systems around Africa, thanks to the various interconnections between them.
Alcatel entirely managed this project end-to-end, offering a full turnkey solution to its customers, from network design to installation. This includes the manufacturing of all the equipment such as cable, repeaters, branching units and terminal equipment for the terrestrial stations.
In addition, Alcatel supplied a full integrated, user-friendly network management platform, providing end-to-end supervision and provisioning. Not only does this platform manage the whole SAT-3/WASC network, but also another system linking South Africa and India for which Alcatel delivered the SDH infrastructure. Alcatel is also currently ensuring the first upgrade of the system with the necessary terrestrial equipment including SDH optical multi-service nodes systems (OMSN).
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The various submarine networks can all be interconnected together, as a real world-wide web. This ensures a quick restoration of the traffic if any damage occurs to the cable. In the case of SAT-3/WASC, as the network circle Africa on the Western coast, it can be envisaged to act as a restoration for Sea-Me-We 3 a 40,000km link from Western Europe to Far East Asia via Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean thanks to connections between the latter and other India to Africa systems
SAT-3/WASC
SAT-3/WASC links up Portugal, Spain, Canary Islands, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Angola and the Republic of South Africa (see map above), allowing all of them to be connected to Europe and to benefit from a high capacity link well adapted to new telecommunications applications, such as the Internet. It will also be linked with a network spanning from South Africa to South-East Asia via India.
This network consists of a core backbone with various diversions radiating out to other countries. This is made possible due to the integration of special equipment - branching units. They allow either a fiber pair or the required number of wavelengths to be diverted, depending on the capacity requested by the end destination.
Alcatel is entirely managing this project end-to-end, offering a full turnkey solution to its customers, from network design to installation. This includes the manufacturing of all the equipment such as cable, repeaters, branching units and terminal equipment for the terrestrial stations. SAT-3/WASC Submarine Cable System will be able to consist in the backbone of a future city-to-city network. It highlights the advantages of submarine networks, in a given context, over both terrestrial and satellite networks regarding flexibility, the rapid turnaround time of the implementation of the works and the ability to provide a large, upgradable bandwidth.
Alcatel
According to leading telecom market research firm RHK, Alcatel was the 2001 world leader in global optical transport - encompassing terrestrial and submarine applications - with 17% market share, in terrestrial optical transport with 14.2% market share and in submarine optical transport with 41% market share, an unprecedented achievement in the telecom industry. Alcatel`s optics business comprises optical components, optical fibers, SDH/SONET and DWDM systems, cross-connects, microwave radio links, network intelligence, and services for both terrestrial and submarine applications.
Alcatel is the world leader in delivering full turnkey submarine network solutions and services. Alcatel leads this industry in terms of:
* having the highest sold capacity up to 8.4 Tbit/s for the long-haul systems and 3.6 Tbit/s for the short-haul ones, using the latest DWDM technology;
* handling its own manufacturing;
* managing a fleet of dedicated purposed-designed vessels for a tight control on the delivery schedule, including marine maintenance. Current contracts include the most advanced undersea networks in the world today;
* Apollo system in the Atlantic, Japan-US and Southern Cross transpacific systems, the MAC and MAYA-1 systems in the Americas, SAT-3 around Africa and Global West along the Western coast of the US.
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