Nokia partners for infrastructure in Africa

In a groundbreaking collaboration, Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Nokia are set to launch a cutting-edge network connecting subsea landing stations across Kenya, South Africa, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The terrestrial network will establish a digital highway with the potential to manage significant traffic across sub-Saharan Africa and forms part of a broader agreement between the two companies.

As part of the agreement, Nokia will deploy a next-generation optical transport network spanning across seven countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, the DRC, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. The network will comprise 145 nodes of 1830 photonic service switches, with a total design capacity of up to 12 Tb/s. The launch of the optical transport backbone will allow Liquid Intelligent Technologies to meet the growing demand for capacity and deliver submarine traffic to landlocked countries at a cost-effective price.

Liquid Intelligent Technologies’ Group CTO, Shahzad Manzoor Khan, stated that the new terrestrial fiber corridor is a first-of-its-kind in Africa in terms of distance and capacity, and that they are excited to partner with Nokia on this transformative project. Meanwhile, Rajiv Aggarwal, Nokia Central East and West Africa Market Unit Head, added that the next-generation optical network will enable Liquid Intelligent Technologies to maintain its leadership position and emerge as a preferred partner for organisations requiring massive capacity.

The new optical backbone features a colourless and flexgrid ROADM network for improved agility and flexibility, and the generalised multi-protocol label switching feature of the network will minimise network disruptions by enabling automatic rerouting as needed. This exciting project promises to revolutionise Africa’s digital infrastructure and drive the growth of the region’s economy.