LION (cable system)
{{Short description|Submarine cable which connects Madagascar, Réunion and Mauritius}}
{{Infobox Submarine communications cable
| cable_name =Lower Indian Ocean Network (LION)
| map =
| owners =
| landing_points =
- Toamasina, Madagascar
- Sainte-Marie, Réunion
- Terre Rouge, Mauritius
| technology =
| design_capacity =1.28 terabits per second
| current_capacity =
| length =1000 km
| topology =
| first_use_date =2009
}}
Lower Indian Ocean Network (LION) is a submarine communications cable network that connects Madagascar, Réunion, and Mauritius.{{cite press release
|url = http://lion.orange.com/media/lion_en/UPL821562760047316088_CP_cableLION_VA_.pdf
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110820032015/http://lion.orange.com/media/lion_en/UPL821562760047316088_CP_cableLION_VA_.pdf
|url-status = dead
|archive-date = 2011-08-20
|title = Orange inaugurates the new submarine cable LION in Reunion and continues its strategy to develop broadband internet in the Indian Ocean
|publisher = Orange
|date = 2009-12-11
|accessdate = 2010-08-02
}}
History
The construction of a new submarine cable to connect the Southeast African islands was announced in March 2008.{{cite web|url=https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/content/france-telecom-va-poser-un-cable-entre-la-reunion-et-madagascar|title=France Télécom va poser un câble entre La Réunion et Madagascar|website=Meretmarine.com|date=27 March 2008|author=Vincent Groizeleau|language=fr|accessdate=13 December 2018}} The project was financed by a consortium made up of Orange Madagascar, Mauritius Telecom and France Telecom S.A. Overall, the LION project cost an estimated 37 million dollars. The Mauritius Telecom group has reportedly invested 10.8 million in the project. The LION I network was inaugurated in March 2010. This cable digitized the region, and paved the way for the development of an outsourcing economy (call centers).{{cite web|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/193025/article.html|title=LION Cable Links Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion|website=Pcworld.com|author=Patrick Hilbert|date=31 March 2010|accessdate=13 December 2018}}
LION II, linking Madagascar, Mayotte and Kenya, was launched in April 2012. In July 2017, Orange announced the construction of FLY-LION III, a 400 km extension of LION I and II. The capacity of this new cable should be 4 terabits/s.{{cite web|url=http://www.midi-madagasikara.mg/economie/2017/07/13/orange-un-accord-pour-un-nouveau-cable-sous-marin-tres-haut-debit/|title=Orange : Un accord pour un nouveau câble sous-marin très haut débit|website=Midi-madagasikara.com|date=13 July 2017|language=fr|accessdate=13 December 2018}}
In July 2018, the website Cable.com ranked Madagascar 22nd in the list of countries with the fastest connections.{{cite web|url=http://www.axian-group.com/2018/07/18/madagascar-africa-number-1-country-in-terms-of-broadband-speed/?lang=en|title=Madagascar: Africa number 1 country in terms of broadband speed|website=Axian-group.com|date=18 July 2018|accessdate=13 December 2018}}
On 5–6 October 2018, the LION II cable broke, leading to a severe decrease of digital access in Mayotte the following days. While Emtel had to play the diplomacy with its users, Mauritius Telecom, thanks to its global participation in the LION consortium, was able to re-route on other LION cables for balance-loading.{{cite web|url=https://www.lexpress.mu/article/340555/rupture-cable-lion-2-perturbations-internet-pour-encore-quelques-jours|title=Rupture du câble LION 2: des perturbations Internet pour encore quelques jours|website=Lexpress.mu|date=6 October 2018|author=Florian Lepoigneur|language=fr|accessdate=13 December 2018}}
Description
The LION is 1,000 kilometres long and delivers up to 1.28 terabits per second. To reach Europe and other destinations, the LION cable is linked to the SAFE cable and will be connected to the EASSy and the East African Marine System (TEAMs) cable when they are operational.
It has cable landing points at:{{Cite web |url=http://lion.orange.com/default/EN/all/lion_en/index.htm |title=LION optical fiber submarine cable system |access-date=2010-08-02 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709220719/http://lion.orange.com/default/EN/all/lion_en/index.htm |archive-date=2012-07-09 |url-status=dead }}[http://www.cablemap.info/?c=LION LION] Greg's Cable Map
- Toamasina, Toamasina Province, Atsinanana Region, Madagascar
- Sainte Marie, Saint-Denis Arrondissement, Réunion
- Terre Rouge, Pamplemousses District, Mauritius
The LION II submarine cable network (2700 km), which required a 57 million euro investment, connects the LION I network to Mayotte and Mombasa, Kenya.{{cite web|url=https://www.orange.mg/lion-ii|title=Lion II|website=Orange.mg|language=fr|accessdate=13 December 2018}} The LION II network enables a shorter cable distance to the Middle East and Europe, thus lowering latency between servers.
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- [https://archive.today/20120709220719/http://lion.orange.com/default/EN/all/lion_en/index.htm LION optical fiber submarine cable system]
- https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1038143/000130817909000044/chap8p13302.jpg
{{Submarine communications cables in the Indian Ocean}}
Category:Submarine communications cables in the Indian Ocean
Category:France–Madagascar relations
Category:France–Mauritius relations
Category:2009 establishments in Madagascar