Internet: ACE submarine cable serving 20 African countries to be strengthened
The ACE consortium has selected Ciena to modernize the submarine cable linking Africa to Europe, increasing capacity to more than 30 Tb/s. The upgrade will use existing infrastructure without replacing the submarine cable. ACE was extended to South Africa in 2021, bringing its length to 17,000 km and connecting 20 countries.
Why it matters: This matters for the theme of digital infrastructure, as it shows both capacity expansion and persistent vulnerability of submarine cables in Africa.