Angola Cables upgrades transatlantic capacity with Ciena technology

Angola Cables is upgrading capacity across its MONET and South Atlantic Cable System (SACS) submarine networks with technology from Ciena, including support for 800Gbps services on the route linking the US, Brazil and Angola.

MONET connects the US and Brazil over 10,556km, while SACS links Brazil and Angola over 6,165km. Together, the systems provide a direct route between the US and Angola with a round-trip delay of around 130 milliseconds.

The upgrade is intended to meet growing demand for bandwidth from hyperscalers, cloud providers and AI applications, while giving Angola Cables greater flexibility to allocate capacity across its subsea network.

Angola Cables will deploy Ciena's Waveserver platform with WaveLogic 6 Extreme coherent optics, alongside its 6500 Reconfigurable Line System and Navigator Network Control Suite. The technology will enable 800Gbps client interfaces on MONET and provide connectivity options ranging from 100Gbps services through to capacity across a full fibre pair.

The operator said the upgrade will allow it to offer more diverse and resilient routes to wholesale, content, enterprise and cloud customers, while making better use of its existing fibre assets.

The move also strengthens the role of Angola Cables' subsea infrastructure as a connectivity link between Africa and the Americas. The company operates SACS as well as the MONET system, giving it a route into the US from Angola through Brazil without relying on connectivity through Europe.

The upgrade comes as cloud and AI workloads increase demand for high-capacity international connectivity. For Angola Cables, higher-capacity optical technology allows it to increase the amount of traffic carried over existing subsea infrastructure rather than relying solely on new cable deployments.

The company has previously deployed Ciena technology across its submarine network and said the latest upgrade will increase the scalability and flexibility of services offered across the systems.

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