Mauritius Telecom, the leading telecommunications company in the Indian Ocean island country, acquires a new submarine cable to connect Africa, Indian Ocean Islands and Asia to improve coverage in these regions.
Selon Bloomberg, the Port Louis-based telecommunications company is reportedly in talks with several operators, dont Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, an Indian telecommunications company, and orange its (Orange group), A French multinational, For the new line.
According to reports, le PDG de Mauritius Telecom, Per Kapil Reesaul, revealed that the new optical cable will be called T4, with a capacity 1 000 times higher than that of the South Africa Far East cable (SAFE) currently held by the company. The new T4 cable will follow a road similar to that of Safe, stretching 13 500 kilometers from South Africa, passing through Madagascar, Reunion Island and Maurice, Until India and Singapore.
Once completed, The new submarine cable called T4 will replace the South Africa Far East submarine cable (SAFE) connecting Africa and Asia. The latter will be put out of service in 2027, either 25 years after its commissioning.
Reasons for the construction of new submarine cables with optical fibers
La Mauritius Telecommunications Corporation (MTC) was originally a telegraph entity belonging to the State on the island. Founded in 1988 under the name of Mauritius Telecommunications Services, She merged into 1992 With the Overseas Telecommunications Services (Formerly Eastern Telegraph Company). In 2000, France Telecom (Orange today) held 40 % Business shares, the government retained a participation of more than 30 %, and the local SBM bank had approximately 19 % shares. However, recently, Mauritius Telecom has been faced with several cables, resulting in significant communications damage.
Since February 2024, Three underwater cables Near the Yemeni coasts have been damaged, Apparently by ships attacked by Houthi rebels.
One March 2024, Four cables were damaged off the West African coast, Probably due to a landslide, causing an electricity failure in South Africa for two hours. Recently, A cargo ship severely damaged in an attack on the Houthi forces has moved anchor, damaging the cables.
Friday 26 avril 2024, The country has experienced a technical interruption, Urgently making the need to strengthen additional cable infrastructure. Although resolved only five hours later, This interruption is the latest after that of March, where four lines were damaged near Côte d'Ivoire, And after three cables near the Yemeni coast have been out of service since February 2024.
Mr.reesaul said : 《With the many cable breakdows we know, We want to secure the Far East with a cable that will go from Mauritius to India and Singapore. 》
Given recent cable failure incidents, It would be wise to establish a new link connecting Africa, Maurice, India and Singapore to ensure security in the Far East region.
The project will cost between 150 et 200 million dollars and its realization could take up to two years. The development of T4 also highlights the importance and development of submarine cables in the fields of communications.
Rapid development of submarine cables
As the penetration rate of increased smartphones and internet bandwidth demand is constantly increasing, The multiplication of underwater cables is inevitable. It is estimated that by the end 2024, the underwater fiber optic cable market will reach 4,78 billions of dollars, and that he will reach 8,06 billions of dollars here 2029, with an annual compound growth rate of 11,02% For the forecast period (2024-2029).
Source : https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/submarine-optical-fiber-cable-market
What is an optical fiber submarine cable ?
A submarine cable consists of drivers wrapped in an insulating material and placed on the seabed. It is mainly used for the transmission of telecommunications between countries. The underwater cable system consists mainly of coastal and underwater equipment, Working together to ensure the interconnection of regional networks around the world, thus promoting the global circulation of information and resources. Submarine cables are the most important and fragile part of underwater equipment. These cables are generally made up of optical fibers and are responsible for more than 95 % global data transmission tasks. They constitute an essential infrastructure to guarantee connectivity between global networks, support the normal functioning of the Internet and various network services.
Compared to land cables, underwater cables have characteristics such as a large capacity, A long distance from communication, high security and strong capacity for resistance to interference. These characteristics give underwater cables an irreplaceable position in transportation between countries and continents.
Main engines for demanding submarine cables with fiber optics
With technological development and acceleration of globalization, High speed internet and data transmission demand is constantly increasing. These needs promote the development of underwater cables.
Continuous energy growth also stimulates investments in renewable energy projects at sea.
The expansion of telecommunications networks and the demand for intercontinental connectivity are also factors that promote the construction of submarine cables.
The growth in Internet use in the oil sectors at sea, natural gas and wind energy at sea creates demand for submarine cables.
Increasing the consumption of mobile user data and the use of social networks require more capacity communication tools, which perfectly corresponds to the underwater cables.
The growing demand for reliable and secure communication systems, as well as the growing adoption of services and storage based on the cloud, stimulate the development of underwater cables.
International trade growth and the demand for effective communication networks are also underwater cable demand engines.
The demand for technological flows and information between countries also creates a request for the Internet Underwater Cables.
The use of bandwidth for high-speed data transfer contributes to the growing adoption of submarine cable networks.
The use of optorelectronic components makes monitoring of the submarine cable systems easier and reliable.
There is also a demand for cables capable of detecting long -distance acoustic deformation signals and in difficult environments.
Future development trends
Growing demand for data transmission and communication stimulates the development of the underwater cable market. What's more, with the boom in new technologies such as 5G, Cloud Computing and Big Data, The demand for submarine cables will be even stronger, thus expanding the underwater cable market.
As an essential infrastructure for global internet communication, The future of submarine cables has several development trends, notably :
Continuous growth in network capacity
With the constant increase in Internet use, The demand for capacity of underwater cable networks will continue to grow. Especially, with the generalization of high definition video, Cloud Computing and the Internet of Objects, The demand for bandwidth of submarine cables will increase quickly. To meet this request, submarine cables will be continuously upgraded and extended.
Application of new new generation technologies
The continuous progress of new technologies will allow underwater cables to reach higher transmission speeds and greater transmission capacities. For example, The development of multi -xing multiplexing technology in wavelength will improve the transmission efficiency of submarine cables by allowing a single fiber optics to transport several wavelengths, which will considerably increase network flow. What's more, The research and application of new materials will further improve the sustainability and capacity of underwater cables to resist interference.
Application of active double architecture
To improve network reliability and stability, underwater cable systems will evolve towards an active double architecture. This architecture, By installing two independent cables on different paths, ensures redundancy in the underwater cable network. In the event of a failure of a path, Network traffic will automatically rock towards the emergency path, thus reducing the risk of interruption of the network and guaranteeing the continuity of communications.
Reinforcement of network security
With the advent of the digital age, Network security threats are constantly increasing. As an essential component of the world Internet, submarine cables are faced with various security risks. In the future, Submarine cable systems will continually strengthen network safety measures, in particular the use of transmission encryption, user authentication and intrusion detection, To protect the security and integrity of network data.
Use of underwater energy
In the search for sustainable development, The use of underwater energy becomes a viable option. In the future, Submarine cables could use the energy of the waves, tides and other marine energy sources to make an autonomous energy supply. This will not only reduce dependence on traditional energy sources, but also to reduce network operating costs.
Strengthening regional cooperation
The construction and operation of underwater cables require cross-border cooperation. In the future, with internet globalization and The development of the digital economy, Cooperation between countries will be strengthened. This cooperation will include common investments in the construction of underwater cables, Sharing underwater resources, Technology exchanges, etc, thus promoting global connectivity.
In summary, Future trends in the development of submarine cables are mainly manifested by the increase in network capacity, the application of new new generation technologies, The use of active double architecture, Strengthening network security, the use of underwater energy and the strengthening of regional cooperation. These trends will stimulate the continuous development of underwater cables, will meet the growing demand for internet communication of populations and will promote global digitization and economic prosperity.
The challenges faced by underwater cable market players
1.Technology associated with the installation of long -distance and high seas optical cables must continue to develop and improve.
2.Submarine cables are vulnerable to natural disasters and human disturbances, And players in the submarine cable industry must find solutions to deal with this challenge.
3.Submarine cable installation and maintenance costs are extremely high. Submarine cables require regular maintenance to ensure their safety and sustainability, But this represents a high cost, which is also a limiting factor for the development of submarine cables.
4.Many regions of the world still suffer from a lack of internet infrastructure, Not to mention the installation of underwater cables.
5.There is a shortage of qualified professionals for the installation and repair of underwater electric cables. The lack of qualified personnel affects the generalization of the installation of submarine cables.
6.Geopolitical tensions and safety concerns in certain regions have an impact on the development of submarine cable projects.
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