How Ciena Drives Africa’s Connectivity Expansion with  Submarine, Optical, and AI-Ready Networks 

Investing in Africa’s Submarine Connectivity

Marsella emphasized Ciena’s long-standing commitment to Africa, with over a decade of involvement in submarine cable deployments. The company partners with major consortiums, single-cable operators, and hyperscalers to light up capacity along Africa’s coasts and inland, ensuring data can flow efficiently across the continent.

WaveLogic 6 and Coherent Routing

Ciena’s technology centers on optical networking, currently in its sixth generation with WaveLogic 6. The company offers 1.6 terabit wavelengths for both submarine and terrestrial networks, combining high capacity with superior performance. Marsella highlighted a recent deployment in South Africa with DFA and Wilcom, marking the first converged IP-optical coherent routing system in the region—a global first.

AI for Networks, Networks for AI

Ciena views AI as both a driver and beneficiary of network evolution. On one hand, networks must support the massive data generated by AI applications; on the other, AI can automate network operations, enabling more efficient, self-managing infrastructure. Through solutions like the Blue Planet automation system and NCS (Networked Control System), Ciena is enabling autonomous network operations that scale with increasing bandwidth demands. 

“I think you can really divide it into two categories. One is AI for the network, and the other one is the network for AI. If we start with the network for AI, it really revolves around bandwidth—both the amount of bandwidth being generated and the impact of that bandwidth on network architectures. You step back for a minute, and you see that every single day there is a new press release about a new AI data factory or AI data center being built here, there, and everywhere. All those factories are generating enormous amounts of data, and that data is not just moving within data centers anymore. It is moving across data centers, and that is really our sweet spot: transporting data across an optical infrastructure.”

-Joe Marsella, Vice President, International Business Development, Ciena

Meeting Africa’s Rapid Growth

Discussions at AfricaCom revealed a continent moving quickly, driven not only by hyperscalers but also by “neoscalers”- emerging players building AI data centers and GPU-as-a-service operations. Marsella highlighted the need for flexible network architecture, rapid deployment, and operational efficiency to keep pace with this growth.

Commitment to African Service Providers

Ciena brings over 30 years of global experience to Africa, offering proven technology and strong support for local operators. Marsella reinforced the company’s optimism and readiness to collaborate with new customers to deliver resilient, scalable, and future-ready network solutions.