BCS taps Ekinops for African backbone upgrade
Created December 1, 2022
News and BusinessPan-African wholesale telecom infrastructure provider Bandwidth & Cloud Services Group (BCS), is upgrading it’s network backbone using Ekinops’ DWDM transport solution, which it says will enhance connectivity throughout Africa. The project involves long-distance regional optical transport networks capable of 1Tbps capacity across Africa and urban connectivity upgrades through 44 metro ring deployments offering 10G traffic from PoPs and towers to the network hub. (Image: BCS)
Supplying its Ekinops360 optical transport portfolio, Ekinops will increase BCS’ backbone capacity with both single and dual fibre capabilities, aggregating low-capacity circuits to high bit rate protocols to deliver speeds ranging from 1Gbps to 1 Tbps. The solution also accommodates future demand for backbone capacity increases through FlexRate™ coherent channels, to extend the network’s reach/capacity throughout the region.
BCS estimates that its projects support approximately one-third of all internet capacity by data volume in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda. Customers in these regions account for two-thirds of all data subscribers who rely on BCS’s network for approximately half of their capacity needs.
“As one of the leading telecoms infrastructure providers in Africa, it is essential that our network along the railroads in Zimbabwe and DRC, as well as planned submarine cables in Lake Tanganyika and Congo River, aligns with current and future trends and demands,” commented John Orutwa, CTO at BCS. “Having worked with Ekinops on our previous major network expansion, we were already aware of their advanced technology, close, partnership-led approach and world-leading expertise. We are excited to work with them again as key partners in our ambitious expansion plans unlocking next-gen connectivity throughout Africa.”
Frank Dedobbeleer, group senior vice president sales EMEA & APAC at Ekinops, said, “Ekinops is proud to be working with BCS and the telecom ecosystem in Africa to unlock next-gen connectivity and support the continually evolving digital economies throughout the region. Thanks to our comprehensive network backbone solution, BCS is ready to face the future with confidence, equipped with a highly dynamic, flexible, scalable and cost-effective optical transport network.”
For more information, visit www.ekinops.com
