List of terrestrial fibre optic cable projects in Africa
Encyclopedia
This is a list of terrestrial fibre optic cable
projects in Africa
. While submarine communications cables are used to connect countries and continents to the Internet
, terrestrial fibre optic cables are used to extend this connectivity to landlocked countries or urban centers within a country with submarine cable access. While in most of the world a large number of such cables exist, often amounting to robust Internet backbones, the lack of such high-speed cables poses a great problem for most African countries. The construction of both submarine cables and their terrestrial extensions is thus considered an important step to economic growth and development
to many African countries.
Optical fiber cable
An optical fiber cable is a cable containing one or more optical fibers. The optical fiber elements are typically individually coated with plastic layers and contained in a protective tube suitable for the environment where the cable will be deployed....
projects in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. While submarine communications cables are used to connect countries and continents to the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, terrestrial fibre optic cables are used to extend this connectivity to landlocked countries or urban centers within a country with submarine cable access. While in most of the world a large number of such cables exist, often amounting to robust Internet backbones, the lack of such high-speed cables poses a great problem for most African countries. The construction of both submarine cables and their terrestrial extensions is thus considered an important step to economic growth and development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
to many African countries.
Table
| Operator | Network Map | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Algeria | ||
| Algeria Telecom | Algeria Telecom completes its part of the Algeria to Nigeria optical network . | |
| Angola | ||
| Angola Telecom | ||
| Unitel | ||
| Benin | ||
| Benin Telecoms | ||
| Phase3 | See entry for Phase3 Nigeria | |
| Suburban Telecoms | See entry for Suburban Telecom Nigeria | |
| Botswana | ||
| Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) | map | A government funded national fibre network in Botswana covering more than 2000km. Completed in 2008. |
| Burkina Faso | ||
| Onatel | ||
| Airtel | ||
| Cameroon | ||
| MTN Cameroon | map | From this 2009 article. Needs updating. |
| Camtel | Camtel have completed 5000km of the 6000km of fibre laid as part of the Central African Backbone initiative | |
| Cote d'Ivoire | ||
| Cote d'Ivoire Telecom | ||
| Orange Cote d'Ivoire | ||
| MTN Cote d'Ivoire | ||
| Djibouti | ||
| Djibouti Telecom | ||
| Ethiopia | ||
| Ethio Telecom (formerly ETC) | ||
| Gambia | ||
| Gamtel | ||
| Ghana | ||
| National Communications Backbone Company (NCBC) Ltd | map | NCBC, is a subsidiary of Vodafone Ghana. |
| MTN Ghana | map | |
| Tigo | ||
| Expresso Telecom Ghana | ||
| Kenya | ||
| National Optical Fibre Backbone Infrastructure (NOFBI) | map | |
| Safaricom | ||
| Kenya Data Networks | map | |
| Telkom Kenya | ||
| Kenya Power (formerly KPLC) | ||
| Madagascar | ||
| Telecom Malagasy (Telma) | map | |
| Malawi | ||
| Malawi Telecommunications Ltd (MTL) | ||
| Orange Mali | ||
| Sotelma / Malitel | ||
| Mali | ||
| Gouvernement du Mali | The Malian government has announced a 942km fibre optic cable project which will link Bamako-Gao-Kidal-Tin-Zaoutière to the Algerian border and Gap-Ansongo-Labezanga to the border of Niger. This project is funded by a 45 million dollar loan from the Export-Import Bank of China. | |
| Mauritania | ||
| Mauritel | In May 2011 Mauritel launched a fiber optic cable project linking the towns of Nouakchott and Kobonni | |
| Mozambique | ||
| Telecomunicações de Moçambique (TDM) | map | |
| Namibia | ||
| Telecom Namibia Ltd | ||
| NamPower | ||
| Niger | ||
| Sonitel | map | |
| Nigeria | ||
| Glo | ||
| Nitel NITEL Nigerian Telecommunications Limited, or NITEL, is the principal telecommunications company in Nigeria, and was owned by the government of Nigeria until it was sold to Mtel by the Bureau of Public Enterprises... |
||
| Phase3 Telecoms | map | Phase3 are building the West Africa One network, which is an aerial optic fibre transmission system which will run from Nigeria to Benin and Togo, possibly beyond . |
| Suburban Telecoms | ||
| 21st Century | ||
| MTN Nigeria | ||
| Rwanda | ||
| RwandaTel | ||
| MTN Rwanda | ||
| Rwanda Development Board | The physical deployment of the RDB's network was completed in January 2011. | |
| South Africa | ||
| Telkom | Telkom is the dominant operator and has the largest fibre network in South Africa, covering approximately 143,000 km as per the 2011 annual report . | |
| Broadband Infraco | map | Broadband Infraco is a South African State Owned Entity (SOE) that is intended to participate in those segments of the telecommunications market and value chain that impede private sector development and innovation in telecoms services and content offerings. Broadband Infraco maintains a national long distance fibre optic network, providing high capacity telecommunication services between all major national metropolitan centres and being expanded to enable connectivity to reach smaller cities and rural areas |
| Neotel | map | |
| Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) | map | Community Investment Ventures (CIV) and Venfin are the principal shareholders in DFA. ABSA Capital, who are a stakeholder in CIV via New GX Capital Holdings, also backs CIV. Shareholders in Dark Fibre Africa have granted the necessary approvals to adequately capitalize thecompany for the construction of a nationwide Dark Fibre Infrastructure. This funding will exceed R2Bn by 2013 . |
| Fibreco | Established in 2009 as an equal partnership between CellC, Internet Solutions and Convergence Partners, FibreCo aims to deploy a state-of-the-art fully managed long-haul fibre optic terrestrial network. FibreCo will develop infrastructure where necessary and leverage already available fibre networks and other relationships to provide the most efficient route combinations. FibreCo will offer a fully managed monitoring and maintenance service of the network on a 24/7 basis for its tenants. A range of additional value-added services will also be available, dependant on customer requirements . | |
| NLD Consortium | A consortium made up of Neotel, MTN, and Vodacom are deploying a national fibre network in South Africa. | |
| OneDotCom | Announced in August 2011, OneDotcom plans to invest USD600 million in regional fibre infrastructure | |
| Tanzania | ||
| National Information & Communication Technology Broadband Backbone (NICTBB) | map and map | Funded by a soft loan from the Chinese government, the NICTBB is being built by the Tanzanian government and will be operated by the Tanzanian Telecommunications Company (TTCL) |
| Six Telecoms | map | |
| Tanesco | ||
| Vodacom/Zain/Zantel | Apparently building their own fibre network. | |
| Senegal | ||
| Sonatel | ||
| Sudan | ||
| Sudatel | map | |
| Uganda | ||
| Ministry of ICTs | map | |
| Uganda Telecom | ||
| Zambia | ||
| Zambia Telecommunications | map | |
| Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Ltd (ZESCO) | map | |
| Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) | ||
| Zimbabwe | ||
| Africom | ||
| Liquid Telecoms | map | |
| Powertel | map | |
| TelOne | ||
See Also
- List of international submarine communications cables
- Central African BackboneCentral African BackboneA fiber optic internet backbone currently being developed to connect the countries of ECCAS in Africa via high speed internet. Phase 1 of the project is being developed to connect Chad, Cameroon, and CAR. Phase 2 is currently in a state of flux as to which countries will be connected, but...
- Kenya Data NetworksKenya Data NetworksKenya Data Networks , is a “Full Service, Data Communications Carrier” that was licensed by the CCK in January 2003 as a “Public Data Network Operator” with a mission to build world-class infrastructure in Kenya...
- Telecommunications in Namibia
- Internet in EthiopiaInternet in EthiopiaEthiopia has the second lowest Internet penetration rate in sub-Saharan Africa and is currently attempting a broad expansion of access throughout the country. These efforts have been hampered by the largely rural makeup of the Ethiopian population and the government’s refusal to permit any...
- Fiber to the premises by countryFiber to the premises by countryThis article lists the deployment of fiber to the premises by country.-Kenya: broadband residential and SOHO packages 1Mbps, 4Mbit/s and 8Mbit/s currently available in Nairobi’s Kileleshwa, Kilimani and Lavington suburbs...
- People's Republic of China – Ghana relationsPeople's Republic of China – Ghana relationsSino-Ghanan relations refer to the current and historical relationship between the Republic of Ghana and the People's Republic of China .-History:...