Telecom Egypt has announced the activation of its agreement with St Helena Government (SHG) to connect the Island to Egypt’s subsea system over the Equiano submarine cable system, along with the associated high-speed internet.
Telecom Egypt will be the first to provide St Helena with a fibre optic connection to the rest of the world, which is a crucial step towards the Island’s economic growth.
The SHG is keen to make the most of the cable’s full potential and start using the new connection path as soon as possible, according to a press release from the company today.
The government is working on creating a new local network covering the entire area of the island and connecting it to the Equiano cable landing station, to ensure that an integrated package of services based on high-speed fiber-optic technology is provided to all homes and businesses on the island.
The length of the submarine cable linking St. Helena to Egypt Telecom’s cable system is 1,140 km. The cable extends along the western coast of the African continent, linking St. Helena Island with Portugal and South Africa.
The cable starts with a capacity of 400 GB using the Nokia 1830 PSE-Vs (7nm) chipset, with the possibility of future development using the latest PSE-6S (5nm) chipset to reach huge capacities of up to several terabits.
The new submarine cable system provides efficient and cost-effective solutions that meet the increasing needs for communication capacities on the island.
According to the statement, Telecom Egypt, in cooperation with the government of St. Helena, was able to provide the “Dynamic Circuit Network” feature, which guarantees the provision of stable capacities to the partners of the government of St. Helena.
Telecom Egypt has also supported the Government of St. Helena in the design, installation and preparation of network equipment and submarine cable.
Mark Brooks, Minister for the Treasury, Infrastructure and Sustainable Development, Government of St Helena, said that through the submarine cable we were able to support a better life for people and businesses in St Helena by providing high internet speeds and capacities for the first time in our history. He added that this promising project opens new horizons for growth and presents huge potentials for the island, including but not limited to opportunities to boost the economy through the flow of new revenues.
He believes that this project also helps to improve the quality and efficiency of service delivery in St. Helena thanks to the technological progress provided by Internet services, especially in the sectors of health (teletherapy), education, social care for the vulnerable, businesses, tourism, and e-commerce.
Mohamed Nasr, Managing Director and CEO of Telecom Egypt, said that the project provides the island with huge international communication capacities that will contribute to improving the quality of life of its people.
He added that the Equiano submarine cable is Telecom Egypt’s first project in the West Africa region, as part of its plan to expand its services outside the Middle East and North Africa region to reach new regions and enhance its international presence by providing submarine cable solutions to its partners at the international level.
Nasr added that the company’s infrastructure projects aim to increase support for high-density international traffic routes, enhance the development of its partners, meet communication needs around the world, and ensure connectivity to the international communications network at the most appropriate prices.
Telecom Egypt has a long history in the submarine cable industry, in addition to an integrated team of the most skilled and distinguished cadres that make tireless efforts to strengthen the international infrastructure of the telecommunications sector. The company’s success stories over the years demonstrate the success of its approach and strategy, in addition to being the partner of choice for more than 160 major submarine cable operators. Telecom Egypt’s contribution to the international infrastructure of submarine cables confirms the company’s commitment to providing state-of-the-art solutions to partners and customers, both locally and internationally.
