06 May 2018

South Atlantic Express (SAEx) to land in Virginia Beach with ACA International (ACA)

13,300km SAEx system will provide connectivity between Network Access Points in South Africa and Virginia Beach, Virginia – the new Digital Port of Virginia.

Chicago, Illinois, May 6, 2018 – ACA International LLC is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with South Atlantic Express International Ltd (SAEx) to be the landing party and neutral co-location service providor in Virginia Beach, Virginia for the main trunk of the submarine cable SAEx between South Africa and the US.

The US landing is a planned capability of SAEx providing a direct link between South Africa and the US. With it, the SAEx system will land in Virginia Beach, Virginia. This will provide additional capacity to meet the ever-increasing demand for bandwidth-hungry markets with ultra-broadband access around the Atlantic, as well as enhance the role of digital connectivity in regional economic development.

The 72 Tbit/s SAEx will be the only system connecting South Africa directly to the US, and combined with a fibre pair link via a partner system from Fortaleza, will offer a truly diverse trans-Atlantic network, with a planned second phase from South Africa to Asia.

Joel Ogren, CEO at ACA International, said: “The addition of SAEx to our open and neutral cable landing station is significant as it provides a direct link to both South Africa and LATAM into our new Digital Port in Virginia Beach. The SAEx system will fulfill a long-standing need of the markets of Southern Africa, US, and LATAM for connectivity in the Atlantic basin by interconnecting with existing and planned submarine cable systems in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The collaboration with SAEx and the deployment of the SAEx subsea cable system will enable us to foster cost-effective high-speed broadband connectivity between Southern Africa and the Americas.”

Dr. Rosalind Thomas, MD of SAEx International, said: “Extending SAEx to the United States will boost access to the worldwide infrastructure, opening up traffic diversity to increase access and service reliability as demand from consumers and businesses alike grows rapidly. We are pleased to be collaborating with ACA International in the expansion of services and applications that are enabled by high-bandwidth networks, and which are a catalyst for economic and social progress.”

About ACA International, LLC

About SAEx International Ltd.