BRICS Linking Under the Atlantic

What’s the Latest Development?

The BRICS countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa—have agreed to build a 12.8Tbit/s undersea link between Brazil and South Africa and Angola. The South Atlantic Express cable system (SA ex) will become the shortest and fastest route between the Americas, Africa and Indian and China. Funding comes largely from the private sector: Chinese banks and debt equity, and the state-owned South African industrial development corporation IDC.

What’s the Big Idea?

The internet packets flowing between the emerging economic powerhouses of the New World will soon bypass Europe entirely. It’s just one of several investments intended to cut costs and speed up traffic between Africa, the Americas and Asia. The project was announced at the BRICS Leaders meeting in China last week.