SAT-3/WASC: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:SAFE-SAT3-WASC-route.png|thumb|300px|The whole SAT-3/WASC/[[SAFE (cable system)|SAFE]] system]] |
[[Image:SAFE-SAT3-WASC-route.png|thumb|300px|The whole SAT-3/WASC/[[SAFE (cable system)|SAFE]] system]] |
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'''SAT-3/WASC''' or '''South Atlantic 3/West Africa Submarine Cable''' is a [[submarine communications cable]] linking [[Portugal]] and [[Spain]] to [[South Africa]], with connections to several [[West Africa]]n countries along the |
'''SAT-3/WASC''' or '''South Atlantic 3/West Africa Submarine Cable''' is a [[submarine communications cable]] linking [[Portugal]] and [[Spain]] to [[South Africa]], with connections to several [[West Africa]]n countries along the route. It forms part of the SAT-3/WASC/SAFE cable system, where the [[SAFE (cable system)|SAFE]] cable links South Africa to [[Asia]]. The SAT-3/WASC/SAFE system provides a path between Asia and Europe for telecommunications traffic that is an alternative to the cable routes that pass through the [[Middle East]], such as [[SEA-ME-WE 3 (cable system)|SEA-ME-WE 3]] and [[Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe|FLAG]]. SAT-3/WASC provides the only optical fiber link between West Africa and the rest of the world. SAT-3 has a capacity of 120 [[Gbit/s]] while SAFE has a capacity of 130 Gbit/s; however, plans are in place to nearly triple SAT-3's capacity to 340 [[Gbit/s]] soon thanks to technological advancements allowing 2.5Gb/s wavelengths to be replaced with 10Gb/s wavelengths.<ref>{{cite web | title=SAT-3/SAFE bandwidth capacity tripled| url=http://mybroadband.co.za/news/Telecoms/8879.html | accessdate=July 22, 2009}}</ref> |
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==Ownership== |
==Ownership== |
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Revision as of 01:38, 2 August 2009
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2009) |
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (July 2009) |
SAT-3/WASC or South Atlantic 3/West Africa Submarine Cable is a submarine communications cable linking Portugal and Spain to South Africa, with connections to several West African countries along the route. It forms part of the SAT-3/WASC/SAFE cable system, where the SAFE cable links South Africa to Asia. The SAT-3/WASC/SAFE system provides a path between Asia and Europe for telecommunications traffic that is an alternative to the cable routes that pass through the Middle East, such as SEA-ME-WE 3 and FLAG. SAT-3/WASC provides the only optical fiber link between West Africa and the rest of the world. SAT-3 has a capacity of 120 Gbit/s while SAFE has a capacity of 130 Gbit/s; however, plans are in place to nearly triple SAT-3's capacity to 340 Gbit/s soon thanks to technological advancements allowing 2.5Gb/s wavelengths to be replaced with 10Gb/s wavelengths.[1]
Ownership
The SAT-3 system together with SAFE was built by a consortium of operators that currently has 36 shareholders in all.[2] As of 2006, major investors included France Telecom (12.08%), Nitel (8.39%); TCI, a subsidiary of AT&T (12.42%) and VSNL (8.93%).
Bandwidth costs
Prices for SAT-3 bandwidth in the African countries it serves are high (US$4,500–12,000 per Mbit/s per month, over 50 times greater than bandwidth prices in the U.S.)[citation needed] in large part because operators have monopoly control of access.[citation needed] The lowest rates occur in Ghana, where the Ghana Internet Service Providers Association (GISPA) organized a two-year negotiation with and court fight against Ghana Telecom.[citation needed] SEACOM cable president Brian Herlihy states that the owners of the SAT-3 cable have cut prices by 50% since the 2007 announcement of Seacom, in order to compete with the arrival of Seacom in East Africa.[3]
Landing points
The SAT-3 has landing points in European countries:
- Sesimbra, Portugal
- Chipiona, Spain (though this landing is considered to be part of the Telefonica domestic network)
- Altavista, Gran Canaria, Spain
and in Africa:
- Dakar, Senegal
- Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
- Accra, Ghana
- Cotonou, Benin
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Douala, Cameroon
- Libreville, Gabon
- Cacuaco, Angola
- Melkbosstrand, South Africa meeting SAFE
Although Telecom Namibia holds ownership in SAT-3/WASC, Namibia has no landing point. Namibian internet users currently have no access to SAT-3/WASC, because Telecom Namibia would have to purchase capacity from Telkom SA, and due to Telkom SA's high prices has so far refused to do so.
Technology
The cable itself consists of four fibers, using Erbium-doped fiber amplifier repeaters and wavelength division multiplexing.
History
SAT-3/WASC/SAFE began operations in 2001, providing the first links to Europe for West African internet users and, for South Africans, taking up service from SAT-2 which was reaching maximum capacity. SAT-2 had been brought into service in the early 1990s as a replacement for the original undersea cable SAT-1 which was constructed in the 1960s.[citation needed]
In November 2007, no internet access was available through SAT-3 for about seven days in parts of central Africa. A government official from Cameroon blamed a technical failure at the underwater SAT-3 high sea fibre optic terminal, about forty kilometres from Douala.[4] Many ISPs in Cameroon had transitioned their connections from independent satellite connections to SAT-3 in mid-2007 creating serious communication difficulties during the seven days.
In late July 2009, SAT-3 cable damage caused internet blackouts in multiple west African countries including Benin, Togo, Niger, and Nigeria. Togo and Niger were "completely offline" and Benin was able to "reroute its net traffic through neighboring countries."[5] However, the three nations were able to use alternative satellite links in order to maintain some Internet communication with the rest of the world.[6] Nigeria suffered a 70% loss of bandwidth that caused problems in banking, government and other mobile networks. President of the Nigeria Internet Group, Lanre Ajayi, said, "[the cable is] a critical national resource because of its importance to the economy and to security."[7] Two weeks may pass before the cable is fixed.[8]
See also
- List of international submarine communications cables
- Individual cable systems off the west coast of Africa include:
- ACE planned, Africa Coast linked to Europe -- South Africa linked to France, and vice versa
- ATLANTIS-2 Argentina linked to Portugal and vice versa
- GLO-1 planned, Nigeria to the U.K. and vice versa
- Main One planned, Portugal linked to South Africa and vice versa
- SAT-2 Portugal linked to South Africa and vice versa
- WACS planned, South Africa linked to the United Kingdom and and vice versa
References
- ^ "SAT-3/SAFE bandwidth capacity tripled". Retrieved July 22, 2009.
- ^ Southwood, Russell (February 7, 2006). ICASA Enquiry Into Telkom's SAT-3 Monopoly Awaits Government Response. My ADSL.
- ^ van der Merwe, Christy (July 19, 2009). Seacom to boost capacity, but prices won't drop overnight. Engineering News.
- ^ "Internet access off in Cameroon for 7th day". Retrieved November 7, 2007.
- ^ Scott, Peter (2009-07-30). "Nigerian 419ers now 404ers". Fudzilla. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
- ^ "BBC NEWS – Technology – Cable fault cuts off West Africa". Retrieved July 30, 2009.
- ^ "Internet disrupted in West Africa". Al Jazeera. 2009-07-30. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
- ^ Cable fault cuts off West Africa. BBC News. July 30, 2009.