Airtel Africa Telesonic, the wholesale fiber arm of Airtel Africa, has partnered with Nokia to build a transformative, high-capacity terrestrial fiber network connecting multiple African countries across East and Central Africa.
The project will link Africa’s 2Africa subsea cable to terrestrial networks. This will provide faster, more affordable and more reliable digital connectivity across the continent.
According to Airtel, the network will leverage Nokia’s 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) platform, powered by coherent Photonic Service Engine (PSE) technology, to deliver ultra-fast data transmission speeds of up to 38 Terabits per second (Tbps). The network, which spans 139 Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) nodes, is also C+L Band Ready, meaning it can support even greater capacity in the future.
“Deploying Nokia’s 1830 Photonic Service Switch platform is a pivotal upgrade to our network infrastructure across Africa,” said Razvan Ungureanu, Airtel Africa’s Chief Technology Officer. “This will enable us to provide greater capacity and high-speed connectivity to efficiently handle webscale traffic. We are setting the stage for transformative growth and new opportunities throughout the continent.”
PD Sarma, CEO of Airtel Africa Telesonic, described the collaboration as a “significant milestone” in advancing Africa’s digital infrastructure. He added that by leveraging Nokia’s fiber-optic technology, Airtel aims to meet Africa’s escalating data demands and support growth in business, education, and healthcare.
Samer Lutfi, Head of Growth Group for Network Infrastructure at Nokia Middle East & Africa, said the partnership reflects Nokia’s long-term commitment to digital transformation in Africa:
“Our advanced DWDM technology, with its high capacity and reliability, is designed to help enterprises succeed in their mission to drive digital transformation and economic growth.”
Once operational, the new network will boost wholesale data capacity, improve cloud service delivery, and strengthen connectivity links between landlocked countries and coastal subsea landing points.
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