Written by Jeff Owen | Nov 23, 2015 5:00:00 AM
Recognized for driving efficiency in African networking by keeping African voice traffic in Africa with its regional breakout solution
HKT (SEHK: 6823) – HONG KONG, November 20, 2015 – PCCW Global, the international operating division of HKT, Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service provider, won the Best Cost Efficiency Solution award at the 8th annual AfricaCom Awards held in Cape Town, South Africa on November 18. PCCW Global was recognized for its work in deploying a meshed network topology and optimizing voice routing to keep African roaming traffic in Africa. PCCW Global’s regional breakout (RBO) solution leverages fiber connectivity in 40 countries across Africa and removes the need to backhaul traffic via Europe, which is inefficient and costly for service providers while increasing network latency and reducing calling quality. PCCW Global’s RBO solution enables African roaming traffic to be routed much more quickly between countries in Africa. Mr. Marc Halbfinger, Chief Executive Officer of PCCW Global, said, “Roaming models in Africa have traditionally backhauled traffic via Europe, which is inefficient and costly for service providers while increasing network latency. Our regional breakout model removes the need to route via Europe and allows African roaming traffic to be routed quickly from country to country. This is a step forward for quality and efficiency in African telecoms.” The AfricaCom awards recognize companies and organizations that are promoting digital excellence in Africa. The awards judging panel included representatives from Ovum, Balancing Act and Disrupt Africa. Traditional roaming models route local African voice and data traffic through London and back to the destination country. The average latency from Africa to London one-way is approximately 200 milliseconds, which amounts to 400 milliseconds for the round trip. This is similar to almost achieving the traditional satellite latency of 600 milliseconds. PCCW Global’s regional break out service enables distinctively efficient lower latency between South Africa and Mozambique of 7 to 8 milliseconds. A similar scenario applies for data originating from Mozambique to Tanzania, with latency of 15 milliseconds. Mr. Halbfinger said, “We are finding new ways to serve customers in local markets in Africa and create new value for our partners across the continent. The local markets of Africa are more dynamic than ever and that’s reflected in our initiatives in 2015. Whether it is video on demand or IPX-enabled infrastructure, we are using our unique strengths and experience to serve Africa with innovative products and solutions.” In 2015, PCCW Global also received awards and global recognition at the Global Wholesale Awards, Frost & Sullivan Awards, Global Telecom Business Innovation Awards, Telecoms World Awards Middle East, and Total Telecom Africa Awards. More at
www.pccwglobal.com