JULY 30, 2007 -- SEACOM Ltd. has awarded the SEA Cable System supply contract to Tyco Telecommunications (search for Tyco Telecommunications), business unit of Tyco Electronics. The 13,000-km project will involve the construction of an undersea fiber-optic network providing high-capacity bandwidth connectivity between South Africa, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, India, the Middle East, and Europe.Â
SEACOM says it will complement communication carriers of South and East Africa through the sale of wholesale international capacity to global networks eastward through India and westward through the Mediterranean. The system will provide African retail carriers with equal and open access to inexpensive bandwidth, removing the international infrastructure bottleneck and supporting East and South African economic growth. SEACOM, a privately funded submarine fiber-optic cable system, intends to launch services the first half of 2009.
"East and South African demand, combined with Indian user demand for international bandwidth, has greatly surpassed the existing supply," reports Brian Herlihy, president of SEACOM Ltd. "SEACOM will provide significant capacity at affordable prices through an extensive network solution, which stretches the entire length of East Africa to the Middle East plus western India and westward to Europe. The system will deliver infrastructure support for the growth of the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, in particular business process outsourcing, call centers, pharmaceutical research industries, and education networks," he says.
"The SEACOM system design will provide excellent flexibility and connection options" adds Michael Rieger, vice president, sales, marketing, and project management at Tyco Telecommunications. "Tyco Telecommunications is proud to be awarded the first major submarine cable infrastructure system linking East Africa with India, the Middle East, and Europe."
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