Information Category | 24-12-07 02:33 GMT | Posted by Ian Chicken

Chapter 3: SAT-1 (Undersea Cable)

Prior to 1969, South Africa's international telephone connections were carried by some twenty high frequency circuits and two telegraph cables.  

SAT-1
South Africa installed its first submarine cable system, over a distance of 10 000 km Sat-1 was installed 1964 from Portugal to Cape Town, a distance of over 10 000 km

In December 1975 it was supplemented by a satellite earth station. In case the SAT-1 cable should accidentally break down by various reasons, there are three satellite earth stations at Hartebeesthoek in the Transvaal area. These stations link South Africa with the Intelsat Atlantic and Indian Ocean communication satellite systems in addition to serve as emergency back-up facilities in a case as a SAT-1 breakdown.  

Overseas calls dialed directly via the cable or the satellite systems are routed through the automatic international exchange in Johannesburg. Data transmission was introduced in 1965 and is now carried by leased line (at standard speeds of up to 28 800 bits a second on the public telephone network).

The Post Office’s Saponet system offers up to 48 000 bits a second, and certain old but high-quality communication point-to-point links provides speeds of up to 64 000 bits a second.
Route taken SAT-1
South Atlantic 1
Out-of-Service: in-service 1969. retired 1993: 24 years of Service
Landing Points:
Melkbosstrand, South Africa - Sal, Ascension Island, Cape Vert Island - St. Cruz, Tenerife Island, Sesimbra, Portugal 
Distance:
10,787 Km at 360 x 3kHz channels 
Maintenance Authorities: 
Telkom SA, Marconi, Telefonica.