The West Africa Cable System (WACS)
Bridging continents and empowering digital transformation across Africa's western coast through advanced submarine fiber optic technology.
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Overview
A Vital Submarine Link
The West Africa Cable System (WACS) represents a monumental feat of engineering, serving as a critical submarine communications cable. It establishes a vital physical link connecting South Africa to the United Kingdom, traversing the western coast of Africa. Constructed by Alcatel-Lucent, this extensive network comprises four fiber pairs and spans an impressive 14,530 kilometers, forming the backbone for digital communication across numerous nations.
Connecting Continents
WACS facilitates the seamless flow of data between Africa and Europe, significantly enhancing internet accessibility and capacity. Its strategic route, with 14 landing points across 12 African countries and two European nations (Portugal and the UK), underscores its role in bridging the digital divide and fostering economic development by providing high-speed connectivity to regions previously underserved by robust international networks. The total investment in this transformative project amounted to $650 million.
Evolution and Purpose
Originally conceived as the Africa West Coast Cable (AWCC) with aspirations for a South American branch, the system evolved into the WACS we know today. Its primary purpose is to deliver high-capacity, reliable, and low-latency internet connectivity, essential for modern telecommunications, business operations, and access to global information resources. The system's design prioritizes resilience and future scalability.
Consortium Ownership
Collaborative Infrastructure Development
The WACS project is a testament to international collaboration, owned by a consortium of 12 prominent telecommunications carriers. This model distributes the significant financial and operational responsibilities associated with building and maintaining such a vast subsea infrastructure. Key stakeholders include major regional and international players, ensuring broad representation and commitment across the connected regions.
Strategic Landing Points
Connecting Communities
WACS features an extensive network of 14 landing points, strategically positioned to maximize connectivity across the western coast of Africa and extend into Europe. This distributed architecture ensures that numerous countries benefit directly from high-speed international bandwidth. The selection of these points is crucial for providing direct access to the global internet backbone, thereby empowering local economies and digital services.
Technical Specifications
Dimensions and Reach
The WACS cable system extends for approximately 14,530 kilometers, establishing one of the longest submarine communication routes connecting Africa and Europe. This immense length necessitates sophisticated engineering to maintain signal integrity and power delivery across vast oceanic distances.
Topology and Redundancy
WACS employs a trunk and branch topology. This design includes a direct "express lane" fiber pair between South Africa and Portugal, alongside semi-express lanes with fewer hops and an "omnibus" fiber pair that stops at all landing ports. This multi-path approach enhances network resilience, allowing traffic to be rerouted in the event of a fault on a specific segment, thereby minimizing service disruption.
Capacity and Throughput
Initially designed with a capacity of 3.84 Tbit/s in 2008, WACS has undergone significant upgrades. Following a 2015 enhancement utilizing advanced WDM (Wavelength-Division Multiplexing) technology, its design capacity was boosted to an impressive 14.5 Tbit/s. While the currently lit capacity is stated as 500 Gbit/s, the potential for future expansion is substantial, ensuring the network can meet growing data demands.
Underlying Technology
The system relies on advanced fiber-optic technology, specifically DWDM (Dense Wavelength-Division Multiplexing). DWDM allows multiple data streams, each on a different wavelength of light, to be transmitted simultaneously over a single fiber strand. This technology is fundamental to achieving the high bandwidth capacities required for modern global telecommunications.
Historical Development
Genesis and Evolution
The WACS project originated under the name Africa West Coast Cable (AWCC). Initial plans considered a branch to South America, but these were eventually dropped, leading to its final configuration as the West African Cable System. The project involved extensive planning and consortium building among major telecommunications providers.
Construction and Deployment
Construction operations commenced in July 2010, utilizing specialized cable-laying vessels like the รle de Brรฉhat. The deployment involved laying thousands of kilometers of subsea cable, culminating in the landing of the final segment in Yzerfontein, South Africa, on April 19, 2011. The cable system officially became operational on May 11, 2012, marking a new era of connectivity for the region.
Recent Incidents
In a significant event on August 6, 2023, the WACS cable system experienced simultaneous breaks along with the SAT-3 Cable System, reportedly due to a rockfall in the Congo Canyon. This incident caused considerable disruption to internet speeds across Sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the vulnerability of subsea infrastructure despite the presence of newer cable systems.
Engineering Innovations
Power Delivery System
To power the numerous optical amplifiers and branching units along its extensive length, WACS employs an innovative dual-ring power supply system. Instead of a single high-voltage conductor (which would require upwards of 24,000 V DC), WACS utilizes two independent rings. This approach reduces the voltage requirement to approximately 12,000 V DC, enhancing safety and simplifying maintenance while ensuring reliable power delivery across the entire cable.
Branching Unit Resilience
The inclusion of submarine branching units is a key design feature. These units are engineered to maintain the integrity of the main trunk cable even if a branch experiences a failure. This means that repairs or issues affecting a specific landing point or branch will not disrupt the traffic flow along the primary WACS route, significantly improving overall network reliability and service continuity.
Wavelength Pass-Through
WACS incorporates "wavelength pass-through" capability at its landing stations. This advanced feature allows optical signals (wavelengths) entering a station to continue their journey along the main cable rather than terminating there. This design choice is crucial for future scalability, enabling network upgrades and capacity enhancements without necessitating the simultaneous upgrade of every landing point, thus reducing future costs and complexity.
Construction and Consortium
Project Agreements
The WACS consortium formally established itself and signed the Construction and Maintenance Agreement on April 8, 2009. This agreement brought together 12 key telecommunications entities, including major South African players like MTN Group, Telkom SA, and Vodacom, alongside international operators. The supply contract with Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks was also finalized on this date, setting the stage for the project's execution.
Investment and Capacity Allocation
MTN Group emerged as the largest investor, contributing approximately $90 million to the project. In return for this significant investment, MTN secured 11% of the cable's initial capacity. This allocation strategy ensures that major investors have substantial bandwidth resources to serve their customer bases.
Deployment Operations
The physical laying of the submarine cable system was a complex logistical undertaking. Alcatel-Lucent's specialized cable ships, the รle de Brรฉhat and its sister ship รle de Sein, were deployed. These vessels carried vast quantities of cable from the manufacturing facility in Calais, France, executing the precise operations required to lay the cable across the seabed, connecting the specified landing points.
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Disclaimer
Important Notice
This page has been generated by an Artificial Intelligence and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The content is derived from publicly available data and has been refined for clarity and depth, but it may not be exhaustive or reflect the absolute latest developments.
This is not professional advice. The information provided on this website is not a substitute for expert consultation regarding telecommunications infrastructure, network engineering, or international connectivity projects. Always refer to official documentation and consult with qualified professionals for specific technical or business requirements.
The creators of this page are not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for any actions taken based on the information provided herein.