[SatNews] In line with its extensive terrestrial rollout plan for 2011, Gateway Communications now has 350 peering partners in Africa and has increased the number of peering locations to 20, making it the largest pan-African peering operator.

As part of its program of terrestrial network development, Gateway Communications has also commissioned its first long haul STM1 fibre route from London to Zambia, which will go live in January 2011. These terrestrial data network projects form part of Gateway’s Communications’ African network expansion plan that will connect all SADC (Southern African Development Community) countries in order to optimise all the benefits from the West Africa Cable System (WACS ), due to go live in the last quarter of 2011. Sub-sea cables in their own right address primarily the connectivity needs of those on the periphery of Africa, so by combining terrestrial network rollouts with sub-sea fibre connectivity, Gateway Communications can ensure the same quality of fibre connectivity is available on a pan-African scale. Gateway Communications plans to further expand terrestrial networks into Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Swaziland in the short term.