wiredinUSA June 2013

41 / 52

wiredInUSA - June 2013 41 ASIA / AFRICA NEWS
The Taiwan Intelligent Fiber Optic Network
Consortium (Taifo), a joint venture
established in 2012 specifically to establish
a fiber optic communications network
around Taipei City, began construction
during May.
Initially Taifo plans to deploy the fiber optic
network in three administrative districts,
to reach coverage of 20 percent, about
40,000 household users, by the end of
2013. The city government hopes that the
fiber optic network can cover 80 percent
of households around the city by the end
of 2015.
Taiwan-based Tai Tung Communication,
the major shareholder of Taifo with a 72
percent stake, will supply fiber optic cables
for the project.
Network in Taipei
Expresso Ghana landed the $700 million,
17,000km ACE fiber optic cable on the
Ghanaian coast in time for its mid-May
launch. ACE is the acronym for the Africa
Coast to Europe submarine cable, and
represents a consortium of 19 members.
The cable connects 23 countries, mainly on
the coast of Africa but also using terrestrial
links to landlocked countries including
Mali and Niger. It is the first cable system
to connect seven African countries in a
stretch.
Expresso Ghana said: “ACE will connect
Ghana with 22 countries from South
Africa to Portugal to France and other
International Gateways.”
Ghana already has the WACS cable from
MTN, SAT-3 from Vodafone, Glo One from
Globacom and the MainOne cable on
its shores, which gives the country a huge
fiber optic redundancy capacity.
ACE launch for Ghana