Two major agreements in Africa will provide network operators with far greater connectivity options in and out of the continent.
Global telecoms network exchange Epsilon Telecommunications has signed an interconnection agreement with the communications service provider Seacom, allowing Epsilon’s customers network connectivity to Africa via Seacom’s network as well as carrying African telecoms traffic globally. Meanhwhile, the operator’s customers will now have access to 450+ preconnected network operators globally.
Epsilon has connected to Seacom in Telehouse North in London, UK, allowing all network operator traffic arriving on the undersea cable systems in London to connect to the global network exchange seamlessly. Similarly, international network operators buying services from African operators can deliver their traffic via Seacom’s undersea cable systems.
“This agreement allows us to serve more African carriers while helping carriers around the world connect to one of the world’s fastest growing telecoms markets,” says Clint Collins, Regional Director, Carrier Business MEA at Epsilon Telecommunications. “We see growing demand in Africa for our outsourced network model and this agreement with Seacom reaffirms our commitment to supporting African telecoms development.”
The undersea cable system directly connects South Africa and eastern Africa with Europe and southern Asia, covering a distance of over 17,000 km.
The second agreement is between carrier services provider BICS and the Djibouti Data Centre (DDC), which will now serve as the location for BICS’ gateway hub in East Africa. The centre has a strategic position in East Africa, as it is the major meeting point for undersea fibre optic cable systems connecting Europe, the Middle East, and Asia to Africa.
“The DDC is located just meters from the new Djibouti Telecom cable landing station, and offers BICS the opportunity for unique collocation facilities, cable head backhaul and cross connect services, and Internet Exchange services in one of the fastest growing regions in the world,” says Anthony Voscarides, CEO of the DDC.
Johan Wouters, SVP Capacity Business Management at BICS, added: “By connecting the DDC, we are investing to establish a hub in the region that provides us with secure access to all seven cable systems landing in Djibouti, therefore enabling efficient capacity solutions in close proximity to our customers.”
