DJIBOUTI CITY (SLpost)- Djibouti Telecom and Somtel today announced that the supply contract for the Djibouti Africa Regional Express 1 (DARE1) submarine cable system has come into force, with TE SubCom as a supplier. The 5,400km DARE1 submarine cable system is the first step in a planned expansion into eastern Africa, which connects Djibouti (Djibouti), Mogadishu (Somalia) and Mombasa (Kenya) and delivers up to 30 Tbps of capacity.
Future options for expansion of the cable include major coastal cities in the Somali territories and other countries in East Africa and the Horn of Africa, which will provide an alternative high-capacity and low-latency route. The partnership will realize the productivity and cost advantages of a short-haul cable route while still maintaining the capacity and reliability of a much larger long-haul system using SubCom’s scalable system design.
The DARE1 consortium is currently composed of Djibouti Telecom and Somtel. The DARE1 cable is configured as a three fiber pair trunk, with each fiber pair delivering a cross-sectional capacity of 150 channels at 100 Gbps. DARE1 will include diversified Points of Presence (PoP) with options for future connectivity via SubCom’s industry-leading optical reconfigurable add/drop multiplexing (ROADM) product line. The cable will also connect to the global network via multiple cable systems in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
“We are pleased to partner with Somtel and Dahabshiil Group to further develop the region. With high-capacity and low-latency, the DARE1 system will offer an alternative route to East Africa and the Horn of Africa and we are confident in SubCom’s superior technology and operational expertise. We look forward to expanding DARE1 into other regions,” said M Mohamed Assoweh Bouh, Djibouti Telecom General Manager.
“DARE1 will be the first submarine cable of its kind to link Mogadishu to the global network. With the support of Dahabshiil Group, Somtel will bring affordable internet services with better performance to the region. Connectivity to the rest of the world is indispensable for developing the region, and the DARE1 system will ease congestion across existing systems, promoting competition and supplying much needed capacity to vital services, such as Mobile Money
Services. Somtel’s customers will also experience internet plans with greater reliability and higher speeds, as well as more choices at affordable prices. Somtel and Dahabshiil Group are open to partnering with other interested players in the industry to further enhance our current services. We are committed to continue working with our current partners in both cable and data, and our aim remains to provide quality and reliable services at affordable prices,” said Abdirashid Duale, CEO of Dahabshiil Group.
“SubCom is pleased to be working with our DARE1 partners on this exciting project to bring significant bandwidth to the region,” said Michael Rieger, vice president, global sales, SubCom. “We continue to support our clients as they expand DARE1’s scope to realize its full service potential.”
About Somtel LTD
Somtel is one of the leading telecommunications companies in Somaliland Somalia, providing landline, mobile and internet services. Somtel was founded in 1997 and was the first operator to launch a 3G and LTE network in Somalia. Somtel has also transformed the financial system in Somalia through its Edahab system. Visit: www.somtelnetwork.net
About Djibouti Telecom
Djibouti Telecom SA is the primary telecommunications company of Djibouti, providing landline, mobile and Internet services. The company is headquartered in Djibouti City, Djibouti. Djibouti Telecom was founded in 1999 and has ever since established itself as a regional hub responsible for delivering a complete portfolio of voice, data/IP and capacity services over state-of-the-art network infrastructure that reaches out to eastern and southern Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Djibouti Telecom is now the leading strategic hub for international telecommunications services in East Africa. Visit: www.djiboutitelecom.dj.
About TE SubCom
TE SubCom is an industry pioneer in undersea communications technology and marine services, and a leading global supplier for today’s undersea communications requirements. As a vertically integrated supplier, SubCom designs, manufactures, deploys, and maintains the industry’s most reliable fiber optic cable systems. Its solutions include long-haul and regional systems, repeaterless networks, capacity upgrades, offshore oil and gas, and scientific research applications. SubCom brings end-to-end network knowledge and global experience to support on-time delivery and the needs of customers worldwide. To date, the company has deployed enough subsea communication cable to circle the Earth more than 15 times at the equator. For more information, visit www.SubCom.com.