Operator wants to link Africa with fibre-optic cable
China Telecom plans to build eight vertically laid and eight horizontally laid fibre-optic cable networks across the African continent
IN RESPONSE to the Chinese government’s call for Sino-Africa co-operation, China Telecommunications Corporation (China Telecom), MTN’s counterpart in China and the first “go global” Chinese telecom operator, is weaving an invisible network linking African countries and Asia.
China Telecom was established in May 2000 with a total registered capital of R440.8bn. The company’s total asset value exceeds R1.2-trillion, four times bigger than that of MTN. Driven by its determination to serve the ever-growing demands in Africa and Middle East, China Telecom (Africa and Middle East) was established in 2015, accelerating its global operation after the establishment of China Telecom Global, headquartered in Hong Kong in 2012.
Deng Xiaofeng, CEO of China Telecom Global, who oversees China Telecom’s global operation, focusing on bandwidth, internet, unified communications, cloud computing, information and communications technology and voice service, articulated the company’s Africa strategy in an interview during the China-Africa Equipment Manufacturing Industry Exhibition held in Sandton.
“Together with African telecommunication regulatory bodies and telecom operators, China Telecom plans to design and build eight vertically laid and eight horizontally laid fibre-optic cable networks across the African continent.
“The coverage will be across 48 African countries, connecting 82 major cities, with a total length of 150,000km,” said Deng, adding that the cable infrastructure network will first be deployed in the East African region, achieving interconnection among the East African Community countries before advancing into West Africa.
The designed cable network is more than twice the length of the equator.
To build a reliable and dedicated network, China Telecom is planning several diverse capabilities through submarine cable loop circling the Africa continent, said Deng.
“Leveraging on the existing networks in Africa, China Telecom projects a further enhancement of its network coverage and internet service capacity, forming three ‘information rings’, respectively in the north and Southern Africa, encircling the African continent.
“The strategic network layout will be enhanced by a single gateway in Djibouti. Once completed, China Telecom will have its own Africa transmission network and platform,” he said.
According to Deng, China Telecom has invested more than R700m in African telecommunications infrastructure, including submarine cable resources connecting major African economies.
The company has established network nodes in Kenya, SA, Egypt and Nigeria, and is building nodes in Sudan, Djibouti and Tanzania. China Telecom also owns 1.3T capacity in the SMW5 submarine cable, which will be in service next year, linking Africa, Asia and Europe.
China Telecom is currently constructing and operating fibreoptic backbone in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Tanzania, Gabon and other African countries.