1www.slac.stanford.edu/grp/scs/net/talk09/icfa-aug09.ppt
New E. Coast of Africa Fibre
Prepared by: Les CottrellSLAC,Umar KalimSEECS,NUST/SLAC
Presented to the International Committee on Future Accelerators
Lit Undersea Cable Capacity
Growth
Upturn in 2007 in All Regions
Rapid GrowthForeseen to Meet
Rising Demand
Drive to 40G and/or 100G Links
Hibernia Offers Cross-Atlantic 40G August 13, 2009 SUMMIT, NJ and DUBLIN -- Hibernia Atlantic, today announces the company is now the first to offer native, 40 Gbps wavelength (WL) capacity across the Atlantic Ocean, without the need for external equipment. By deploying the latest 40G network technology, Hibernia has increased the potential capacity of the Atlantic system to 10.16Tb/s.] Hibernia Atlantic’s first-to-market offering is in response to its North American customers’ demand for greater bandwidth capacity, stemming from the precipitous rise in deployment of next-generation services, such as streaming video, IP multimedia and web conferencing. Additionally, financial exchanges and media houses need secure and high-performance capacity to ensure they are meeting their industries’ critical network requirements.
Hibernia Offers Cross-Atlantic 40G August 13, 2009 SUMMIT, NJ and DUBLIN -- Hibernia Atlantic, today announces the company is now the first to offer native, 40 Gbps wavelength (WL) capacity across the Atlantic Ocean, without the need for external equipment. By deploying the latest 40G network technology, Hibernia has increased the potential capacity of the Atlantic system to 10.16Tb/s.] Hibernia Atlantic’s first-to-market offering is in response to its North American customers’ demand for greater bandwidth capacity, stemming from the precipitous rise in deployment of next-generation services, such as streaming video, IP multimedia and web conferencing. Additionally, financial exchanges and media houses need secure and high-performance capacity to ensure they are meeting their industries’ critical network requirements.
Continental 100G Links in US, in Europe by 2010-11; Transoceanic by ~2014Continental 100G Links in US, in Europe by 2010-11; Transoceanic by ~2014
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Summary• Current State
• What is happening?
• Impact
• Next Steps
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World Throughput Trends Behind Europe5 Yrs: Russia, Latin America, Mid East 6 Yrs: SE Asia9 Yrs: South Asia12 Yrs: Cent. Asia16 Yrs: Africa
Central Asia, and Africa are in
Danger of Falling Even Farther
behindIn 10 years at the
current rate Africa will be 1000 times
worse than Europe
Derived throughput ~ 8 * 1460 /(RTT * sqrt(loss))Mathis et. al
1993
PingER• Coverage extended to better
understand Africa– 50 countries, > 160 sites
• Funding from Pakistan & pro-bono
Plans for New Sub-SaharanUndersea Cables to Europe and India by 2011
Seacom (7/09)
EASSy(6/10)
TEAMs(9/09)
WACS(Q2/11)
MaIN One(Q4/10)
GLO1(11/09)
ACE(2011?)
$ 650M $ 265M $ 82M $ 2B ? $ 865 M $ 150 M ???
13.7 kkm 10 kkm 4.5 kkm 13 kkm 14 kkm 9.5 kkm 12 kkm
1.28 Tbps 1.4 Tbps 0.12 – 1.2 Tbps 3.84 Tbps 2.5 Tbps? 0.64 Tbps ???
June 2009 Q1/Q2 2010 Sept. 2009 2010 Q4 2010 Q2 2009 2011
Ambitious plans are once again underway to better-connect the African continent
The potential increase in capacity compared to now is 1000X
The issue is whether there is a sustainable market
Before the recession hit, outlook was at least one of these new cable projects would succeed this time
http://manypossibilities.net/african-underseacables
What is happening• Up until July 2009 only one (no competition)
submarine fibre optic cable to sub-Saharan Africa (SAT3) costly (no competition) & only W. Coast
• 2010 Football World Cup => scramble to provide fibre optic connections to S. Africa, both E & W Coast
• Multiple providers = competition
• E. Coast: Seacom & TEAMs landed Jul 2009, Seacom working
Impact: RTT etc.• As sites move their routing from GEOS to terestrial
connections, we can expect:– Dramatically reduced Round Trip Time (RTT), e.g. from 700ms to
350ms – seen immediately– Reduced losses and jitter due to higher bandwidth capacity and
reduced contention – when routes etc. stabilizedAug 1 ’09 23:00hr
Aug 1 ’09 23:00hr
SLAC to Kenya siteSLAC to Kenya site
325ms325ms720ms720ms
Avg RTTAvg RTT
LossLoss
• Effects have been seen in leading Kenyan & Tanzanian hosts
Africa is Huge• India 10% area, but > population, hard to get fibre everywhere
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Next Steps: Going inland• Extend coverage from landing points to capitals and major
cites• Need fibre connections inland
CentralCentral
NorthernNorthern
SouthernSouthern
Next Steps: Beyond Fibre’s reach• In areas where fibre connections are not available
(e.g. rural areas), the main contenders appear to be:– wireless, e.g. microwave, cellphone towers, WiMax etc., – Low Earth Orbiting Satellites (LEOS) for example
Google signed up with Liberty Global and HSBC in a bid to launch 16 LEOS satellites, to bring high-speed internet access to Africa by end 2010,
– and weather balloons, also see here for some discussion of the attractivenss of this technology.
Next Steps: Let’s get together• Get leaders such as universities, academic
establishments (teach the teachers) to get togeher to form NRENs for country
• Bargain for cheaper rates• BW most expensive
worldwide ($4K/Mbps)• Then NRENS get together
to create International eXchange Points (IXPs)– Avoid intercountry links
using expensive intercontinental links via Europe and the US.
Routing• Used to typically go through a satellite provider
such as Newskies• Now TZ & KE go via London
and Teleglobe & terrestrial fibre• IXPs starting up, e.g.
• S. Africa direct to Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique
• Burkina Faso direct to Mali, Senegal, Benin
• Ubuntunet Alliance• Founders: Kenya, Malawi,
Mozambique, Rwanda South Africa• Joined by DRC, SD, TZ, UG
S. Africa
Burkina Faso
Impact for Science• African scientists isolated
• Lack critical mass, need network to collaborate
• Brain drain
• Brain gain, tap diaspora
• Massification – blend distance learning
• Provide leadership, train trainers
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More Information• Case Study:
– https://confluence.slac.stanford.edu/display/IEPM/New+E.+Coast+of+Africa+Fibre
• Ubuntunet Alliance– http://www.ubuntunet.net/
• Weather balloons– http://www.internetevolution.com/author.asp?
section_id=694&doc_id=178131&– http://crossedcrocodiles.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/undersea-
broadband-fiber-optic-cables-to-africa/
• Google LEOS’– http://gigaom.com/2008/09/09/google-invests-in-satellite-based-internet-
startup/
Many Thanks to Les Cottrell and NUST for Continuing this Excellent Work
Many Thanks to Les Cottrell and NUST for Continuing this Excellent Work
