Nigeria-Cameroun Submarine Cable System now live

West African submarine cable system operator MainOne says construction on the Nigerian-Cameroun Submarine Cable System (NCSCS) that connects Lagos, Nigeria, and Kribi, Cameroun, has finished. The undersea cable network went live last month.

The submarine network project began in June 2015, funded by the Cameroun government. MainOne, Cameroun's Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, and Huawei Marine Networks partnered on the project, which has seen deployment of a six-pair, 1,100-km repeater submarine cable system. The submarine network will have supply capacity up to 12.8 Tbps; it will initially offer 40GB of capacity.

The submarine network is expected to boost broadband connectivity in Cameroun. It is considered a key component of the country's plan to provide Internet access to its citizens via a National Broadband Network. Cameroun's current fixed broadband penetration currently is estimated to be approximately 5%.

NCSCS features branching units for extension into Nigeria's Escravos in Delta State, Qua Iboe in Akwa Ibom State, and Bonny Island in Rivers State. MainOne says it also has completed plans for a distribution hub in Port Harcourt, designed to bridge the technology gap between the South-South and the rest of Nigeria.

MainOne operates a significant submarine cable infrastructure that connects West Africa with Europe (see "MainOne chooses Xtera for 100-Gbps submarine network upgrade").

For more information on high-speed transmission systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer's Guide.