
DARE1
DJIBOUTI AFRICA REGIONAL EXPRESS
In early 2015, Djibouti Telecom decided to build a new regional submarine cable system DARE1 (Djibouti Africa Regional Express1).
Landing across 3 countries and 4 cities, the network will cover 5,000km and will have a capacity per wavelength of 100Gbps. Owned by a consortium of East African telecom operators the project is estimated to cost $86m. As part of the Djibouti Vision 2035 strategy this project will bring much needed fibre optic to the region and has unanimous support across all stakeholders.
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WHY THIS INITIATIVE
While we promoted international connectivity, our region is still widely underserved
- Single optical connection to Mogadishu (EASSy)
- No consortium’s cable landing in Yemen for more than 20 years
Strong Regional ICT Sector Growth
- Clearly recognized as “the” driver for economic growth in Africa (mainly due to mobiles)
- Growth extremely sensible to the availability of large & cheap international capacity
- Near future capacity forecasts expressed in multiple Gbps
INTERNATIONAL CABLE NETWORK:
THE DJIBOUTI “ROAD”

System Details
2020
RFS Year
3
3 Fibre Pairs at Total Design Capacity of 36 Tbps
5000
Length (km)
100
Capacity per wavelength (Gbps)
36
Design Capacity (Tbps)
Owners
Djibouti Telecom, Somtel, Hormuud Telecom & Telkom Kenya as Landing Party in Kenya.
Region
Horn East Africa
Landing Points
Djibouti City (Djibouti). Bosaaso (Somalia). Mogadishu (Somalia) Mombasa (Kenya)
project description
Technical
. Proposed connection in Somalia (Bosaso, Mogadisho), Kenya (Mombasa) Over 5000 km of 3-fiber cables
paired with standard international protection (armoring, burial, etc.)
. Connection via BU-ROADM
. The initial technology based on Nx100G wavelength (10G client interface)
. Capacity Design supported by two pairs of fibers: a Total of 36 Terabits per Second
Commercial
. Consortium model
. Interconnection open to Djibouti and Mombassa
. 10G DWA interface access for Internet connectivity
Future potential

POTENTIAL ACCESS TO DARE1
Rwanda has the opportunity today to acquire a Direct Fiber between Dar Es Salam / Mombassa and Djibouti. From Djibouti, Rwanda can use existing or new cables, or even invest as a consortium member on Future cables

NETWORK IN TANZANIA AND ENCLAVE COUNTRIES
Tanzania has borders with Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique. Tanzania has developed optical terrestrial networks

DARE1 PROJECT STATUS
By 2028, the projected data traffic from East African countries will reach 80 Terabit per second. This request will require the construction of 5 to 6 submarine cables over the next 12 years. DARE1 Will be one of these cables that will handle safely this regional traffic to Data center available in Djibouti and extension to Europe, Asia, or USA through existing international cables.
LATEST NEWS ON DARE1
DARE1 Cables Land in Mogadishu and Bossaso
Earlier this week, the submarine cables for our flagship DARE1 network landed in Mogadishu and Bossaso (the two biggest coastal cities in Somalia). When completed, the DARE1 network will land across 3 countries and 4 cities, covering 5,000km and will have a capacity...
Installation of DARE1 Underway
Djibouti Telecom, Somtel, and Telkom Kenya announce that installation of the DARE1 submarine cable system is underway. Installation of trunk and branch units has commenced; marine operations are scheduled for completion in March 2020 Djibouti City, DJIBOUTI,...
Completion of the Manufacturing Aspects of the DARE1 Submarine Cable
The Press Release below was written and released by Subcom on 4th December 2019 announcing the completion of the manufacturing aspects of the DARE1 submarine cable. Djibouti City, DJIBOUTI, Mogadishu, SOMALIA, Nairobi, KENYA, and Eatontown, NJ, USA – December 4, 2019...
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