The ACE – Africa Coast to Europe Submarine Cable system connects Europe, West Africa and South Africa through a high-speed fiber optic system. More than 500 million people and 20 countries are connected with a distance of 17,000 km either directly for coastal countries or through land links for landlocked countries such as Mali and Niger.

ACE is the first international submarine cable to land in Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Sao Tomé and Principe and Sierra Leone.

Equipped to offer 100 Gbs access, ACE reduces the digital divide by providing high-performance connectivity and maximizes the possibilities of Internet interconnection and traffic exchanges in Africa since December 2012.

ACE Consortium consists of telecommunications operators and member countries that have invested in the total 700 million dollars project, some of them with the financial support of the World Bank. The consortium agreement was signed on 5 June 2010 and on 15 December 2012, the 17,000 km-long cable was put into service for the first time.

Agreements are being put in place to allow the arrival of other operators in countries along the ACE cable route.

The 4 to 5 cms diameter cable runs at around 6,000m below the sea level. It was manufactured by Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) and was laid by ships from ASN and Orange Marine.