New high capacity cable system to link Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East

PCCW Global, the international operating division of the Hong Kong telco HKT and 16 other prominent operators around the world have announced the construction of a new cable system that will link Asia, Africa and Europe via the Middle East.

The new and unique high capacity cable system, to be called Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1), is due to go live in 2016.

Advance Television reports AAE-1 will facilitate and provide support for the unprecedented growth of Asia-Africa trade. Providing robust, reliable, low latency connectivity that underpins one of the highest growth and most active global trade routes, AAE-1 will also bring much needed protection and diversity to the existing heavily congested subsea cable systems connecting the various countries along the route.

PCCW Global plans to land the cable at the Cape D’Aguilar Cable Station in Hong Kong, and then extend connectivity to its city data centre, making Hong Kong a key telecommunications hub in addition to Singapore and Marseilles in France along the AAE-1 network.

Bringing together China Unicom, Telecom Egypt, Etisalat, Omantel, Ooredoo and many other major service providers from around the world, PCCW Global hosted a signing ceremony for the Construction and Maintenance Agreement in Hong Kong on January 27th to officially mark a new chapter of the AAE-1 Project.