## Introduction of the PEACE Med Submarine Cable
Orange, PCCW Global, and PEACE have established a partnership to introduce the PEACE Med submarine cable. This initiative marks the entry of the first Chinese private submarine cable into France.
### Overview of the PEACE Cable System
The PEACE cable system—short for Pakistan and East Africa Connecting Europe—is an open and neutral submarine network backed by Hengtong Optic-electric (HKT), a leading global provider of information and energy network services. Spanning 12,000 kilometers, this system is set to connect France to Pakistan through Marseille, slated for operational readiness by 2021.
## Connectivity and Future Expansion
The cable will utilize an efficient Europe-Asia route to connect to Mombasa, Kenya, with a plan to expand its reach to South Africa, effectively totaling 15,000 kilometers. This strategic setup will offer better latency for communication across regions.
### Role of Orange in the Deployment
Orange will be responsible for managing the cable landing station in Marseille, linking it with one of the city’s major data centers. This connection serves as a crucial gateway to both the European network and the Americas, leveraging France’s access to important transatlantic networks. As the sole French operator equipped to handle such cable landings, Orange has investments in over 40 submarine cables.
### Strategic Capacity Acquisition
In a significant move, Orange has secured 500Gbps of bandwidth on the cable linking Marseille to Kenya. This decision is aimed at bolstering traffic across the Indian Ocean, ensuring long-term growth and reducing reliance on alternative routes such as the EASSy cable from Djibouti to South Africa.
## Quotes from Industry Leaders
Jérôme Barré, CEO of Orange Wholesale and International Networks, stated, “For Orange, PEACE represents a landmark investment. It will enhance route diversity, improve connection security, and reliably support increased capacity throughout the Indian Ocean, particularly benefiting regions like Réunion and Mayotte.”
Wu Qianjun, Vice President of Hengtong and CEO of PEACE, mentioned, “The PEACE project is progressing well, with over 60% of equipment manufacturing completed. We are confident that the system will be operational on schedule, providing cost-effective capacity to rapidly growing regions and improving routing diversity across Asia, Africa, and Europe.”
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## Conclusion
The deployment of the PEACE submarine cable system is an exciting development in global connectivity. As the world becomes more interconnected, initiatives like this will provide improved access and reduced costs for diverse regions.
What are your thoughts on the impact of such high-capacity cables on global communications?