Ciena Wins Contract to Upgrade ACE Cable System for Europe and Africa
What happened
The Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) cable system consortium selected Ciena to upgrade one of its key international routes. The upgrade utilizes Ciena’s 6500 family of packet-optical platforms, powered by the WaveLogic 6 Extreme optical solution, to deliver over 30 Tb/s. The system spans approximately 17,000 kilometres across 18 landing stations, connecting markets in West Europe, West Africa, and South Africa.
Why it matters
The upgrade supports international routes that drive economic growth, digital inclusion, and cloud adoption across Africa. Ciena stated that the deployment expands bandwidth over current infrastructure while limiting disruption to live traffic. The enhancements also provide regional service providers with a high-capacity path reaching over 500 million people.
Who's involved
- CienaHigh-speed connectivity specialist selected to execute the ACE cable system upgrades.
- West AfricaRegion served by the ACE cable system, benefiting from the high-capacity connectivity upgrade.
- South AfricaCountry whose infrastructure benefits from the high-capacity connectivity upgrade.
- Western EuropeRegion served by the ACE cable system, benefiting from the high-capacity connectivity upgrade.
- CCMThe management committee overseeing the ACE cable system consortium.
Who could feel it
Possible knock-on effectsThese are possibilities Brind reasoned out, not predictions, and not advice. Most are not stated in any report.
- CienaSpeculative
Ciena could secure long-term contracts based on the successful deployment and ongoing maintenance of the upgraded infrastructure.
Keep exploring
The entities involved
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Ciena
telecommunications company
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West Africa
westernmost region of the African continent
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South Africa
country in southern Africa
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