EVALUATING CAPACITY UTILIZATION IN SUBMARINE OPTIC FIBRE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

ABSTRACTThe advent of submarine optical fibre cable established the most effective medium of communication in terms of data carriage capacity, immunity to interference, low drop calls amongst many others. In the light of these outstanding breakthrough, developing economies are yet to maximize the utilization of the wealth of data deposit at their landing stations. The utilization of submarine optic fibre capacity and broadband access in a developing economy was investigated using the West African Cable System (WACS) and its Lekki Cable Landing Station in Nigeria as a case study. The broadband ecosystem model is employed to determine capacity utilization from Lekki Cable Landing Station. At the International connectivity level, a nodal, port utilization analysis and backhaul provider profile was used to provide measurement criteria for submarine system capacity utilization. Capacity utilization of submarine optic fibre communications route is calculated in Minimum Assignable Units (MAU) of activated capacity in STM-1 (Synchronous Transport Module level-1) by distance of navigation. The International connectivity segment of broadband supply chain was calculated and found to be optimally available at 99.13% for broadband access and end user experience. The terrestrial backhaul suffers from poor availability occasioned by the fluctuating state of the terrestrial fibre infrastructure in Nigeria, thereby impeding broadband penetration in the country.