WIOCC partners with Global Crossing to expand global footprint.(SUBMARINE)

To meet the rapid growth in demand for cost-effective, high-quality, end-to-end connectivity between Africa and the rest of the world, WIOCC--the largest shareholder in the highest-capacity, submarine cable system serving Africa--announced the interconnection of its network with that of Global Crossing, global IP solutions provider.

This strategic agreement will enable WIOCC to further extend its customers' connectivity in countries where it previously did not have coverage, by making it part of the Global Crossing Tier 1 MPLS network--http://www. globalcrossing.com/network/network_interactive_map.aspx.

In addition to expanding WIOCC's reach, the relationship will increase flexibility and provide significantly reduced transit charges for customer terminations. It also enhances Global Crossing's ability to deliver high-performance Tier 1 Internet connectivity into carrier facilities and enterprise locations throughout the east and southern Africa region.

WIOCC CEO Chris Wood said, "This strategic relationship with Global Crossing, with its comprehensive global network reach, significantly improves our ability to deliver end-to-end service to WIOCC customers in Africa and the rest of the world. We already offer the only direct fiber-optic route between east Africa and Europe, and with this new agreement in place we now have the capability to extend our reach to even more points on the globe."

WIOCC's 30 percent stake makes it the largest shareholder in EASSy, the 10,000km, 4.72Tbps subsea fiber-optic cable that runs along the east coast of Africa and has landing stations from South Africa to Port Sudan. EASSy gives WIOCC extensive reach along Africa's eastern seaboard, while onward connectivity to Europe and beyond is provided through multiple interconnect points with other fiber-optic systems. Global Crossing reaches more than 700 cities in more than 70 countries across North America, Latin America, and Europe. The two networks are interconnected in London, offering both service providers improved reach from their respective markets.

"Our shareholders own terrestrial networks that interconnect 20 African countries over more than 50,000km of optical fiber, serving more than 400 African locations," added WIOCC's COO, Ryan Sher.

Global Crossing's head of carrier sales for South Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Habib Issa, commented, "EASSy represents the majority of the international capacity available on Africa's east coast. WIOCC has unparalleled reach throughout eastern and southern Africa, and will play an important role in improving Internet connectivity throughout this region."

With African consumers and businesses increasingly demanding improved access to data-rich services and Internet content originating outside the continent, the WIOCC/Global Crossing relationship benefits African telcos and ISPs by improving their ability to deliver cost-effective, high-speed connectivity with the rest of the world. International carriers looking for better connectivity into Africa can now take advantage of Global Crossing's network as a convenient access mechanism for exchanging traffic directly with eastern and southern Africa using the WIOCC-EASSy cable and network.