- CMC Networks deploys satellite connectivity in Africa and the Middle East to ensure businesses stay connected to the Internet during subsea cable outages.
- The previous outage of the subsea cable system severely affected major Internet connections in West and Central Africa.
- The distributed nature of CMC Networks’ satellite solutions enhances redundancy and minimises downtime for customers’ networks.
Satellites instead of submarine cables
CMC Networks has deployed satellite connectivity across Africa and the Middle East to ensure that African businesses remain connected to the Internet during subsea cable outages. On March 15, 2024, Africa suffered another connectivity setback, with a major Internet outage affecting West and Central Africa due to an outage in the subsea cable system. The incident highlights the vulnerability of subsea cables, which are critical infrastructure for transcontinental Internet connections. However, CMC Networks has demonstrated its ability to reroute traffic and optimise routes to mitigate the impact of such outages, utilising multiple subsea cable systems.
Also read: African internet outage was caused by subsea cable break
CMC Networks’ satellite
CMC Networks, a renowned global Tier 1 service provider, has enhanced its range of solutions by integrating low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite connectivity. Orbiting just over 1,000 km above the Earth’s surface, CMC Networks’ LEO satellites provide ultra-low latency connectivity suitable for primary or backup solutions as well as a variety of consumer Internet use cases. MEO satellites are located at an altitude of 8,000 km, providing low latency connectivity and wider coverage of the Earth. GEO satellites, which orbit 36,000 kilometers above Earth, provide reliable connectivity for less delay-sensitive applications such as broadcast television and low-speed data communications.
Also read: South Africa to licence 60 digital asset exchanges by month end
Accelerates digital transformation
CMC Networks’ satellite solutions leverage a constellation of leading global providers to deliver broad, high-performance and resilient network capabilities. The distributed nature of these constellations enhances redundancy and minimises downtime for customer networks, thereby improving business continuity and enhancing the user experience while reducing reliance on undersea cable infrastructure. Marisa Trisolino, CEO of CMC Networks, said: “CMC Networks aims to accelerate digital transformation in Africa and the Middle East, wherever it is located. By adding LEO, MEO and GEO satellite solutions, we can provide seamless connectivity across geographies during network and outages.”
