Press Release

2Africa, the largest submarine cable system in the world, was officially launched today in Mozambique, 15th August, in the city of Nacala-Porto. A first-of-its-kind data centre was also officially opened today by project partner, Master Power Technologies.

This is the first submarine cable to land in the north of the country. It promises greater internet capacity and accelerated connectivity for Vodacom customers, supporting the growing digital economy in Mozambique.

Through this submarine fibre optic cable infrastructure, Vodacom will provide a direct international gateway for faster and more reliable internet services in the country.

The 2Africa consortium includes eight international partners: China Mobile International; Meta; Bayobab (Formerly MTN GlobalConnect); Orange; Center3; Telecom Egypt; Vodafone Group (the parent company of Vodacom); and WIOCC. These companies have partnered to build 2Africa. Launched in May 2020, the submarine cable project aims to significantly increase the capacity, quality, and availability of internet connectivity between Africa and the rest of the world.

Vodacom is the designated partner for the landing, providing infrastructure for the cable installation at existing sites in the Maputo harbour area and Nacala port.

“The landing of the 2Africa submarine cable reaffirms Vodacom’s commitment to boost digital inclusion in Mozambique and the African continent by increasing access to quality internet services and investing in network infrastructure to support this. This is an ambitious challenge for which we cannot achieve results alone. Collaboration between other industry players and the public sector is key, to enable the connection of more citizens across the continent,” revealed José Mendes, Managing Executive: Vodacom Business, Mozambique.

From this infrastructure, service providers will be able to obtain capacity on a fair and equitable basis, encouraging and supporting the development of a healthy internet services ecosystem. Direct international connectivity can then be provided to data centres, enterprises, and wholesale customers. Once the fibre optic cable system is deployed, businesses and consumers will benefit from better quality, reliability, and lower latency for Internet services, including teleworking, high-definition video streaming, as well as advanced multimedia and mobile video applications.

The landing of the fibre optic cable system also offers potential for much-needed regional job creation in sectors that rely on direct international connectivity, such as data centres, call centres and software development. This employment opportunity can help contribute to local and national socio-economic development.

The 2Africa project supports further growth of 4G, 5G and fixed broadband access, providing better connectivity to underserved and rural areas as well as network resilience. As a gateway to international connectivity, the fibre optic cable landing will help develop telecoms networks in every province.

Submarine cable systems that provide international networks between continents and countries are an integral part of the connectivity value chain and increase the internet’s ability to meet the current and future demands of Africa’s growing digitalisation, while catalysing economic growth. An RTIstudy indicated that the 2Africa cable is expected to stimulate an economic impact of US$26.2-36.9 billion, equivalent to 0.42-0.58% of Africa’s GDP, within two to three years of its commissioning.

Alcatel Submarine Networks is responsible for the manufacture and installation of the 2Africa cable, which is scheduled for completion in 2024. The cable system is 45,000 kilometres long and with a design capacity of 180 Terabits per second. It will connect Europe (to the east via Egypt), the Middle East (via Saudi Arabia) and Africa. Essentially, the 2Africa project will connect 19 countries in Africa and 33 in total.

The submarine fibre optic cable system enables more communities to access transformative online resources, from education and healthcare to jobs and financial services, and to experience the economic and social benefits of seamless connectivity.

Is 2Africa a game-changer for the African continent? Join the operators in discussion at the world’s largest submarine cable networks event, Submarine Networks EMEA 2024

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The newly signed contract will strengthen the technological infrastructure of National Air Traffic Services (NATS), which manages more than 2.5 million UK flights each year   

A new deal between BT and NATS will see the UK telecoms giant upgrade the air traffic control specialist’s critical data network and cybersecurity systems across numerous sites. 

NATS manages all UK airspace from two air traffic control centres and provides air traffic services to 14 UK airports.  

As part of the deal, BT will be responsible for the modernisation and management of NATS’ network, as well as the company’s cybersecurity. The latter will involve the development of an upgraded cybersecurity system including a new proactive central coordination point for cyber resilience. 

“NATS is implementing a truly transformational technology programme to keep the skies safe and support our customers worldwide, so it is vital we have BT as industry leaders alongside us,” said Tim Bullock, NATS’ Supply Chain & Facilities Management Director. 

 “Secure, high-bandwidth connectivity is essential in keeping the UK’s air traffic moving in the future – so after many years of building world-class networks and cyber security for providers of critical national infrastructure, we are looking forward to delivering this now for NATS,” said Andy Rowe, BT’s Director of Central Government. 

“Under the partnership we will be responsible for both network provision and cyber security within the NATS strategic supplier ecosystem, and will be embarking on consolidating and modernising the entire network to build a world-class digital infrastructure that is fit for the future of air traffic management.” 

BT has worked with NATS for many years, including using them as a case study for their IP Connect network back in 2019. 

Join the conversation about the evolving UK telecoms landscape at this year’s Connected Britain   

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The operator has gained access to all of the spectrum it purchased at auction roughly four months ahead of schedule

Back in 2021, Verizon paid a whopping $45.5 billion at auction for 5G spectrum in the C-band, planning on using it at the backbone of their national 5G network.

However, there was a catch: some of the spectrum was currently being used by satellite operators, like Intelsat and SES, to provide video and radio services.

Thankfully, this issue had been foreseen well in advance by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which had introduced a plan in 2020 offering the satellite players incentives totalling almost $10 billion to clear the C-band spectrum quickly by December 2023. Since then, most satellite operators have moved swiftly to migrate their services off the C-band and therefore collect the sizable payouts.

Now, the roughly four months before the deadline for the satellite players to shift their services, Verizon has announced that the migration process is complete, and it now has access to the entirety of its C-band spectrum holdings.

As a result, it will begin to rollout the additional spectrum across the country, noting that this will allow 5G customers in some parts of the country double or even triple the current bandwidth.

“Early access to the remainder of the C-band spectrum puts us another four months ahead of schedule from our original projections. This additional spectrum will make 5G Ultra Wideband available to even more Americans and will open up more availability of our home and business broadband solutions,” said Joe Russo, EVP & President of Global Networks and Technology for Verizon. “The more spectrum we deploy on our network, the more capacity we add for our customers to connect.”

Making use of the newly freed-up spectrum is seemingly a simple task, with the operator’s existing 5G RAN only requiring a simple software update to integrate the additional airwaves.

Verizon had initially deployed 60MHz of C-band spectrum across 46 markets in 2022, a total that slowly expanded as the satellite operators gradually migrated away from the C-band. Now, full access to the company’s C-band holdings means the operator can provide a minimum of 140MHz of spectrum across the contiguous US, with an average of 161MHz.

In 158 markets in the US ­­– covering almost 40 million people – customers will have access to the full 200MHz of spectrum.

What impact will additional C-band spectrum have on 5G consumers in the US? Join the discussion at Connected America 2024, live in Dallas, Texas

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The two firms have been collaborating for over a decade on 4G and 5G innovations 

BT and Qualcomm Technologies have announced the continuation of their partnership with their 5G lab facilities based in Qualcomm’s offices in Hampshire. 

The facilities include 5G test labs using BT’s live environment, which allow the two firms to continue testing and authenticating new, innovative 5G technology. 

“By working directly with Qualcomm Technologies in an embedded 5G lab, we’ll be able to realise the benefits of closer working, helping to bring the next generation of technology to our customers sooner,” said Naveen Khapali at BT. 

‘Our state-of-the-art lab facilities will help facilitate and speed up the time-to-market, which means customers can benefit from the new technology sooner,’ said Bikrant Jain, Business Development Director at Qualcomm 

The two firms have been collaborating for over ten years on technological innovations. In April, for example, EE (owned by BT) set a 5G spectrum aggregation record, becoming the first European network to successfully aggregate 5G through seven different spectrum carriers, delivering the network’s fastest speeds to date. 

How is the UK telecoms landscape evolving in 2023? Join the operators in discussion at this year’s Connected Britain event  

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Telesat has awarded the contract to build 198 satellites its Lightspeed low Earth orbit (LEO) programme to space technology company MDA 

The contract is the largest in MDA’s history, being valued at around CA$2.1 billion (USD $1.56 billion), and will include the design, manufacture, and testing of the satellites, which will take place at MDA’s plant in Montreal. 

The programme will begin immediately, with Telesat aiming to launch its first satellites into orbit by 2026 and offer commercial services by 2027. 

The total cost for Lightspeed constellation is approximately $3.5 billion, which takes into account costs for launches, ground systems, and user terminal technology. Telesat will contribute CA$1.6 billion (USD $1.19 billion) in equity, and CA$2 billion (USD $1.49 billion) will come from Canadian government financing. 

This funding will be enough for the company to launch the first 156 satellites of the constellation, allowing it to offer global coverage. The remaining 42 satellites needed to complete the constellation will be launched gradually using the revenues generated from the constellation. 

“MDA is a world class satellite prime contractor with an impressive track record and a number of recent high profile, strategic space programmes announced, and it is a privilege to be working side-by-side with them on the flagship, game-changing Telesat Lightspeed constellation. MDA’s deep expertise as a LEO prime contractor, as well our own leading expertise in satellite operations and systems engineering, gives us the highest level of confidence in meeting our objectives,” said Dan Goldberg, Telestat’s President and CEO. 

“We believe in Telesat’s mission and vision and are excited that our software-defined digital satellite product will be a key enabler in meeting their goals as we work together to usher in the next generation of space-based satellite communications,” said MDA’s CEO Mike Greenley. 

The company had previously contracted European satellite specialist Thales Alenia Space to manufacture 298 satellites at an estimated cost of $5 billion, but the project was halted due to pandemic-related supply chain issues. Now, Telesat says it has saved roughly CA$2 billion (USD $1.49 billion) by reducing the size of its satellites by 75% and switching suppliers. 

Telesat aims to achieve a 30% return on investment from Lightspeed, which targets the enterprise and government connectivity market, and will not compete with firms such as Starlink in the direct-to-consumer market. 

How is the emergence of LEO satellite constellations changing the telecoms ecosystem? Join the operators in discussion at this year’s Total Telecom Congress live in Amsterdam 

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