The installation of the first direct link between Africa and South America is nearing completion.
The South Atlantic Cable System (SACS), also known as the Angola-Brazil Cable, is a planned submarine communications cable in the South Atlantic Ocean linking Luanda, Angola, with Fortaleza, Brazil, with a leg connecting the Brazilian archipelago of Fernando de Noronha as well.
It is designed to provide low latency routing between Africa and Asia in the east and the Americas in the west. Construction costs are expected to amount to $278 million, funded by Angola Cables, a consortium of major Angolan telecoms companies.
In a statement, Angola Cables says the wet-plant installation is progressing in accordance with the plan and the cables will arrive in Brazil at the beginning of February. Construction of the landing station/data centre in Fortaleza, Brazil, is also progressing well, it adds.
Angola Cables CEO Ant'onio Nunes says following the completion of the installation work, a period of testing will begin and the company expects to have the cable fully operational by the third quarter of 2018.
When the installation of the 6 300km submarine cable is completed, SACS will be able to offer a capacity of 40Tbps, between South America and Africa, and a latency of approximately 63 milliseconds. This represents a significant improvement in performance when compared to the existing link of 350 milliseconds.
"From a global traffic perspective, the introduction of SACS between Angola and Brazil opens a new routing. South America will be able to reach Europe and Asia avoiding the US, and Africa will be able to reach the US without linking through Europe," says Nunes.
"The SACS project presents a unique platform for us to build a South-South network configuration on a global scale."
The completed project will also significantly upscale the digital economies of various African and South American countries and improve global communication efficiencies for enterprise customers in Africa, Latin America and SA, says Angola Cables.
Nunes states the ambitious undertaking to complete the connection of the two continents within a challenging timeframe is on track and on schedule.
"SACS is a game-changer. It provides a catalyst and springboard for the expansion of Internet exchange points and related infrastructure investments," adds Nunes. "Through SACS, Southern Hemisphere countries will be more connected and in a better position to drive the development of the region's digital economy."
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