SEACOM is expanding its terrestrial network and upgrading capacity on key submarine links with Ciena^® (NYSE: CIEN) to deliver new network solutions to service providers across the continent and into main European points of presence (POPs). Ciena’s GeoMesh submarine solution and converged packet optical platform equip SEACOM with a high-capacity backbone that will bring high-performing flexible services and content closer to its enterprise and service provider customers. Together, SEACOM and Ciena are supporting scalable connectivity to expand the African Internet, facilitating data services for broadband, and enabling access to cloud-based web-scale applications.

Key Facts:

• SEACOM’s submarine and terrestrial networks stretch across 17,000 km, connecting Africa to Europe, Asia and the Middle East. This expansion gives SEACOM’s corporate and service provider customers the ability to expand and grow their operations to support the rise of cloud-based services and applications, as well as facilitate growing requirements for the processing and storage of data.

• These extended services allow SEACOM to continue delivering affordable data connectivity to the African continent. SEACOM’s infrastructure is designed to grow and scale as Africa continues to develop, and investments in infrastructure will ultimately improve overall Internet access and enable more digital, and associated economic, opportunities.

• With Ciena’s 6500 Packet-Optical Platform underpinning its high-capacity backbone, SEACOM can cost-effectively expand, optimise and seamlessly link its submarine and terrestrial networks without disrupting existing services. By adopting Ciena’s OPⁿ approach SEACOM’s network is also scalable and able to adapt to accommodate future architectural possibilities.

• Ciena’s unified management capability gives SEACOM an end-to-end view of its entire infrastructure, enabling faster service turn-up and complete visibility of network performance, as well as fault management and remote troubleshooting.

• This deployment reinforces the long-standing relationship between Ciena and SEACOM, the two companies have been working together since 2013, when SEACOM upgraded its submarine network across the Southern and Eastern African coastlines.

Executive Comments: 

• “Africa is experiencing massive growth and demand for network services. With Ciena’s technology supporting our infrastructure evolution we can ensure cost-effective data connectivity to end-customers across the continent and internationally; ensuring that Africa is ready for the next generation of applications and high-bandwidth broadband services.”
  -          Claes Segelberg, Chief Technology Officer at SEACOM

• “For competitive providers like SEACOM increasing network capacity efficiently and economically is critical. With this expansion and upgrade SEACOM can continue to its great work and help lead Africa into the next stage of ICT growth with scalable and competitive connectivity solutions.”
  -          Ed McCormack, VP and General Manager, Submarine Systems at Ciena

Supporting Resources:

• Overview: 6500 Family
• Whitepaper: Global Submarine Networking for a Web-scale World