WASACE starts supplier selection

TELECOMS

WASACE Cable Company has begun the procurement process for the new undersea fibre optic system to connect Africa to the US and Europe.

WASACE will develop, operate and build a new network connecting Africa to the U.S., and connecting the 2 BRICS economies in the Southern Hemisphere, Brazil and South Africa, for the first time. WASACE’s new submarine cable network will also connect the two largest economies in America, USA and Brazil, and will provide a full diverse route to the aging transatlantic cable systems between USA and Europe.

WASACE will deploy the latest “100G” technology in projects comprising:  

• “WASACE AMERICAS” - connecting Brazil (Santos, Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza) to the U.S. (Florida). WASACE Americas will also provide optional and on demand connectivity to Colombia, Panama and South Carolina;
• “WASACE AFRICA” - connecting Nigeria and South Africa to the USA. WASACE Africa also provides optional and on demand connectivity to Niger Delta Oil and Gas region at Bonny Island and to Angola;
• “WASACE EUROPE” - connecting Florida to Virginia Beach and across the North Atlantic to San Sebastian in Spain.

WASACE has engaged the services of premier international telecommunications consultants, David Ross Group to administer the procurement process and lead the development of the project. 

The comprehensive Invitation to Tender has been released to four of the major undersea telecommunications cable system suppliers and WASACE expects to select the cable system supplier(s) for its network in July 2012.  In addition, WASACE has retained two financial services companies including Aterios Capital as financial advisors to source funding for the project.

The Company’s plan is to develop the network in phases, beginning with the WASACE Americas and WASACE Africa cable systems, which are scheduled to be in service by the first quarter of 2014.

“The commencement of the selection process for the cable system supplier(s) for our network is a critical milestone in our plan to enable new, critical routes focused on enhancing connectivity for the populations in the Atlantic Basin,” said Ramón Gil-Roldán y Sansón, Chairman and CEO of WASACE Cable Company.

 “The David Ross Group is pleased to take part in the development of this unique undersea cable system which will add critical new routes to the global telecommunications network,” said David Ross, President of the David Ross Group.

"We believe this project is timely and provides a unique opportunity for free flow of information and data between the two largest economies in the Americas (USA & Brazil), Africa's largest economy (South Africa) and Africa's fastest growing economy (Nigeria) as well as with the rest of the world. It ties in with our focus on infrastructure development in sub-Saharan Africa and we are proud to be associated with it," commented Olabode Abikoye, CEO of Aterios Capital.