Displaying items by tag: fiber optic

The Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry, the Chairman of the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI) and the Chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone attended a partnership signing ceremony between AOI and Benya Capital.

The ceremony was also attended by Jonathan R. Cohen, Ambassador of the United States of America to Egypt and representatives of Corning Incorporated via video conference.

At the ceremony, Benya Capital, a leader in telecom and technology solutions and technology infrastructure in Egypt and the region, previously known as Fiber Misr for Communications Information Technology, signed a binding MoU with The Arab Organization for Industrialization, to build the largest fiber optic cable factory in Egypt, Africa and the Arab region with a total investment of more than 1 billion Egyptian pounds at the Suez Canal Economic Zone.

The agreement reaffirms Egypt’s directive and reflects AOI’s strategy to increase local manufacturing, embed the latest technologies and reduce import in cooperation with international expertise.

Arab Organization for Industrialization Chairman Lieutenant General Abdelmonem Eltarras, reaffirmed President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s mandate to increase local production, transfer and embed the latest technologies and reduce imports. This will lead to increasing the local products’ added value and digitize massive national development projects.

Lieutenant General Eltarras also added that Egypt has taken the first tangible steps towards achieving its digital transformation plan. He reaffirmed that the organization is eager to support Egypt’s strategy to digitize, incorporate smart solutions and reinforce telecom solutions locally and across Africa in accordance with global standards.

Lieutenant General Eltarras added that this will be achieved by participating in building secure and high-speed telecom lines for large digital projects.

He also highlighted that this industrial structure will also provide employment opportunities for young engineers and technicians, in addition to training opportunities on the latest technologies in line with the fourth industrial revolution.

Through this partnership, AOI targets the establishment of a national industry that meets local demand for advanced technological infrastructure for the communications networks. The latter will enable the development of smart cities in Egypt and present an export opportunity to the region and Africa. He also highlighted that the organization is supporting the government’s preventative measures against COVID-19 by producing sterilization units. 

Commenting on this partnership, Benya Capital Chairman and CEO Ahmed Mekky said, “This is the first partnership of its kind in Egypt to achieve smart digitalization for mega digital projects. We aim to develop the technological infrastructure in all development projects, as well as relevant information technology services and solutions. The fiber optic industry is considered the cornerstone for launching cost-efficient digital transformation projects, which is particularly important when launching mega national projects at new cities and establishing technological infrastructure and smart applications.”

“Experimental production of the factory is set to start during 2021 Q3, utilizing up to four million kilometers of optical fibers annually.  This capacity is set to increase successively according to the company’s expansion plan and enabling Egypt’s transformation to one of the most important hubs for data storage and transmission,” he added.

Corning Incorporated, one of the world’s leading innovators in optical fiber, cable, and connectivity solutions, will support the project as a strategic supplier of optical fiber. This collaboration will provide Benya Capital with world-leading innovation and reliable supply based on Corning’s global manufacturing capabilities.

Corning invented the first low-loss optical fiber, which ultimately transformed the way the world creates, shares, and consumes information.

Richard Nevins, division vice president, Optical Fiber Commercial Operations, Corning Incorporated, commented, “We are honored to have been selected as a strategic supplier for this exciting investment by Benya Capital. This will ensure the new factory will be able to provide cables with the most advanced and innovative fibers, with security of supply to meet the growing demands of Egypt and surrounding regions ensured by Corning’s global capacity footprint.”

The Minister of Trade and Industry Mrs. Neveen Gamea, affirmed the government's keenness to take advantage of the tremendous manufacturing capabilities of the Arab Organization for Industrialization to expand the Egyptian industrial base, deepen local manufacturing and increase the added value of Egyptian products to the local and global markets, which contributes to achieving the Ministry's vision of increasing dependence on the national industry In meeting the needs of the local market to replace imports and reduce the trade deficit.

Mrs. Gamea pointed out that the signing of this agreement comes to confirm the main and pivotal role that the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI) plays in introducing the latest production technologies and the highest quality standards for the Egyptian industry, stressing that AOI is a key partner of the Ministry of Trade and Industry in implementing the national plan to deepen local manufacturing as well as provide local products that match the Egyptian specifications, and has gained local acceptance and global popularity.

Eng. Yehia Zaki, Chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone, affirmed that the project is the largest in southern part of the economic zone at Ein Sokhna. The cooperation with AOI will enable achieving sustainable development, attract local investments and support the government’s vision for the economic zone as a global logistics center.  This also falls within the framework agreement signed by both parties last month to establish industrial parks at the economic zone.

Zaki also praised the efforts exerted by the Arab Organization for Industrialization to increase domestic production and embed the latest technologies to support local investments and the government plans to reform local industries.

PT's fiber optic network has reached Torres Vedras and Mira, as a result of its strategic goal of reaching 5.3 million businesses and homes by 2020. PT Portugal is the largest telecommunications service provider in Portugal. Since June 2, 2015, PT Portugal is a wholly owned subsidiary of Altice Group.

PT has announced the launch of its fiber optic service in Torres Vedras, in the Lisbon district, where close to 17 thousand houses will be served by the largest and most modern network in the country. Also residents of Mira, in the district of Coimbra, will have access to the best global telecommunications experience in Portugal, since there are 6 thousand homes with access to the PT network.

Through the fiber infrastructure, the residents of Torres Vedras and Mira will be able to have access to an ever more complete set of services at home: better image quality with HD content; unlimited number of televisions, no set-top box and internet with guaranteed bandwidth.

In companies, fiber enables access to innovative solutions, new business models with capacity for optimization of resources and expansion into new markets, as well as integrated telecommunications and information technology services, cloud computing, security and internet of things

The arrival of PT fiber optics to these two places provides access to high debit, high quality internet services with options for the consumer segment and for companies.

Kingston, Jamaica-based telecom company Digicel has entered into a sale and purchase agreement to acquire 100% of IDOM Technologies, it was announced on May 3.

Operating across the French Overseas Territories (in the West Indies and Indian Ocean), IDOM Technologies provides a wide range of ICT services spanning connectivity, voice and security services to over 800 business and public sector customers across a range of industries including insurance, commerce, financial services, health and automotive.

As part of the deal, Digicel will acquire IDOM’s 265 kilometers of fibre optic network enhancing its reach and ability to offer transformative next generation ICT services to customers across Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana and La Reunion. The financial terms of the contract are not being disclosed and the transaction is subject to regulatory approval. 

Commenting on the transaction, Colm Delves, Digicel Group CEO, said, “Business Solutions is one of the fastest growth areas across all of our markets and this acquisition of IDOM Technologies represents an excellent strategic fit for Digicel and also speaks directly to our intentions to grow and expand our presence in the burgeoning ICT solutions space. We look forward to building on the great platform IDOM has established and bringing our full portfolio of products and services to Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana and La Reunion.”

Digicel Group is a total communications and entertainment provider with operations in 32 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and Asia Pacific. After 16 years of operation, total investment to date stands at over US$5 billion worldwide.

Spanish and Brazilian government officials have confirmed that a proposed fiber optic submarine cable between the two countries has been given the go-ahead.

The 9,200 km-long (5,700 mile) Ella-Link, previously known as Eula-Link, will connect to data centers in Madrid, Lisbon and São Paulo, as well as connecting to Fortazela, the archipelagoes of Madeira, Spain’s Canary Islands and Africa’s Cape Verde. A 72Tbps cable, it will be the first fiber optic submarine cable between Europe and Brazil, with the only existing direct link being a 20Gb copper cable laid in 1999.

Ella-Link, a partnership between Spanish submarine cable operator Isla-Link and Brazilian telecoms provider Telebras, will be operator neutral. Alcatel Submarine Networks will be responsible for the project.

The European Commission provided €25 million ($27.2m) in financial support for the cable, as part of its Building Europe Link to Latin America (BELLA) initiative. Current cost estimates were not provided, but when a version of Ella Link was announced by then-Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in 2014, it was pegged at $185 million.

During the event to launch the underwater Ella-Link telecommunications cable that took place in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, explained that the new connection will reduce the time to transmit data by 40%, as well as improve the quality, reliability and confidentiality of communications between Ibero-America and Europe.

Rajoy commented that the new cable is “a necessary connection between Europe and Ibero-America” and “an example of public-private cooperation”, in which the European Union has also played a “very important” role, with a contribution of 25 million euros.

Rajoy also pointed out that the new underwater cable, which connects the cities of Fortaleza and Lisbon – to then connect with Madrid – is “a modern connection” with a very high capacity of “no less than 72 terabytes per second”.

According to Rajoy, the new connection between Latin America and Europe “will reduce the time to transmit data between the two continents by 40% and will also help us to improve quality, reliability and confidentiality.”

Confidentiality was previously touted as a key reason for the cable, with communications between Brazil and the EU currently routed through North America, despite the fact that the Iberian Peninsula is roughly 60 kilometers (37mi) closer to Fortaleza than to Miami.

The question of United States’ dominance in matters of Atlantic Ocean submarine cable affairs came to the fore in 2013, after a series of damaging revelations by whistleblower Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor, brought to light the extent of the agency’s surveillance operations.

Rousseff, who in 2013 postponed a state visit to Washington after it was revealed the NSA spied on her email account and phone records, said in 2014 when announcing the cable: “We have to respect privacy, human rights and the sovereignty of nations. We don’t want businesses to be spied upon.”

She continued: “The internet is one of the best things man has ever invented. So we agreed for the need to guarantee … the neutrality of the network, a democratic area where we can protect freedom of expression.”

Huawei Marine Networks claims to have achieved another breakthrough in transmission across an unrepeatered submarine cable with a transmission distance of 648.5 km in a laboratory test in Beijing. The test was performed on a 100Gbps channel over an ultra low loss optical fiber.

Huawei marine says the transmission was based on its advanced 100G technology, enhanced raman amplifier (ERPC) and remote optical pump amplifier (ROPA). It follows Huawei achieving transmission over an unrepeated distance of 627km in April.

“Combining PDM BPSK modulation, ODSP and third-generation soft decision technology, Huawei Marine’s advanced 100G transmission technology addresses the issue of high dependence on the dispersion compensation module and low PMD while reducing the requirement of optical signal to noise ratio,” Huawei said. “At the same time, the coding gain has been improved which greatly enhances 100G transmission capability while increasing transmission distance.”

Zhang Shigui, Vice President of Technology, Huawei Marine, said: “When used commercially, this technology will broaden the range of unrepeatered system applications and create value for our customers.” Huawei gave no indication as to when the technology might be commercially available

NEC has signed a contract with Telkom Indonesia to develop the Indonesia Global Gateway cable system (IGG) that will connect the islands of Sumatra, Batam, Jawa, Bali, Kalimantan and Sulawesi with Singapore.

Indonesia Global Gateway (IGG) Cable System Map

The 5300km IGG is a 100Gbps x 80 wavelengths system with four fibre pairs. It will connect the cities of Dumai, Batam, Jakarta, Madura, Bali, Makassar, Bilikpapan, Takaran and Manado with Singapore.

NEC says that when completed in early 2018 it will “enhance connectivity among these major cities of Indonesia [and] provide direct connectivity between two international submarine cables, one from Europe landing in Dumai, and the other from the west coast of the US terminating in Manado.”

NEC built its first submarine cable system for Telkom in 1991 and says it has continuously helped to expand Indonesia's domestic connectivity. The Papua Cable System (SMPCS) was its most recent contribution.