Name and Location
South Atlantic Cable System (SACS), Angola and Brazil.

Client
Angola Cables.

Project Description
The project involves the construction of the world’s first submarine cable system across the South Atlantic.

The 6 200 km SACS will connect Angola and Brazil, directly linking the African continent to Latin America for the first time and enabling high-speed and high-capacity international data transmissions, spurring trade and economic growth. The optical submarine cable is then planned to be linked to the US-bound submarine cable under construction at the landing station in Brazil, building a vast communications network spanning from Angola to North America through South America.

The SACS will feature the latest high-quality four-fibre pair cable and optical transmission technologies, with an initial design capacity of 40 Tb/s.

Value
Total investment is estimated at $300-million.

Duration
Installation of the cable is expected to take 21 to 24 months.

Latest Developments
The Development Bank of Angola (BDA) has signed $109.7-million in loan agreements with Japanese firms as part of a deal that is expected to make the oil-rich African nation one of the main telecommunications hubs on the continent.

The agreement, supported by a sovereign guarantee from the Angolan government, is a two-stage loan from the Japan Bank for International Co-operation (JBIC), the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and Nippon Export & Investment Insurance (NEXI) to finance the first step of the construction of the SACS.

The second phase of the loan is the subject of another agreement between BDA and project owner Angola Cables and the State-owned Angola Telecom.
 

JBIC is going to release $65.8-million and SMBC is going to lend $43.9-million. NEXI will provide insurance for SMBC for the loan.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
NEC Corporation (system supplier).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Angola Cables, tel +244 227 360 006 or email geral@angolacables.co.ao.
NEC Corporation, tel +27 11 656 3416.