Information Category | 24-12-07 03:16 GMT | Posted by Ian Chicken

Chapter 5: SAT-3 (Undersea Cable)

 South Atlantic Telephone - Western African Submarine Cable is a 15 000 km high-performance fibre optic cable linking Europe with South Africa and a number of countries on the West African coastline. 
SAFE (Southern Africa - Far East) continues the connection another 13 800 km as far as Malaysia via Reunion and Mauritius, with a landing that brings India into the system.

The route of the combined SAT3-WASC/SAFE submarine communications cables.
 landing points are as follows:
1-12 On the SAT3-WASC Network (Shown in RED)
12-17 On the SAFE Network (Shown in BLUE)

1.        Sesimbra, Portugal
2.        Chipiona, Spain
3.        Las Palmas de Gran Canaria ("Altavista" Central), Gran Canaria, Spain
4.        Dakar, Senegal
5.        Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
6.        Accra, Ghana
7.        Cotonou, Benin
8.        Lagos, Nigeria
9.        Douala, Cameroon
10.     Libreville, Gabon
11.     Cacuaco, Angola
12.     Melkbosstrand, South Africa meeting SAFE
13.     Mtunzini, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
14.     Saint Paul, Réunion
15.     Baie du Jacotet, w:SavanneSavanne, Mauritius
16.     Kochi, India
17.     Penang, Malaysia (where it meets the FLAG and SEA-ME-WE 3 cable systems)

SAT-3/WASC is the third in a series of telecommunications projects that date back to 1964, when South Africa's Department of Posts and Telegraphs proposed a cable system to link South Africa to Australia and Asia. Radio circuits between South Africa and Europe were inadequate by that time, and negotiations began for the creation of the SAT-1 cable system, a coaxial system capable of transmitting 360 simultaneous telephone calls.

SAT-1 was replaced by SAT-2 in 1993 to work in tandem with the existing satellite system. 

SAT-2 can handle 15 360 simultaneous transmissions in several different forms, including voice, television and data transfer. 
At the time it was planned, SAT-2 was expected to cater for telecommunications requirements for the next 20 years. 

However, demand has escalated to the point where SAT-2 will become fully utilised before SAT-3/WASC is ready for service in the last quarter of 2001.

SAT-3/WASC/SAFE will provide an underwater global information highway for the Southern Hemisphere. It has the potential to access 90% of Africa's existing sub-Saharan telephone market in which 72% of the sub-Saharan population lives.

Landing points
The SAT-3/WASC/SAFE cable system will route between Europe and South-East Asia with confirmed landings in Senegal, C"te d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Mauritius, Reunion, India and Malaysia.

The formal development of the SAFE segment commenced in June 1996. 
The key role-players are:
Telkom SA, Telekom Malaysia, Mauritius Telecom, France Telecom and VSNL (India). The SAT-3/WASC project segment was initiated in May 1998. Key role players include Telkom SA; Angola Telecom; OPT Benin; C"te d’Ivoire Telecom; Ghana Telecom; Intelcom (Cameroon); OPT Gabon; Libtelco (Liberia); Sonatel (Senegal); Sonitel (Niger); Togo Telecom; Namibia Telecom; Nitel (Nigeria); AT&T (US); Sotelgui (Guinea Conakry) and British Telecommunications. 

The signing ceremony was held in Pretoria on 17 June 1999. The entire project will be ready for service in 2000.