Final Maps Installment: Africa and Other Map Collections

At last I have completed the raw outline of my set of network map links internationally with the addition of a page covering Africa and its surrounding seas.  That is not to say the collection is internally complete, it is always a work in progress given new fiber construction, newly discovered sources of information, and of course the broken links caused by website redesigns etc.  Anyhow, Africa was, as expected, a tough place to find a lot of information beyond the new submarine cables being built – lots of national telecommunications and energy companies who are known to operate fiber backbones don’t tend to publish maps of their infrastructure.  Or if they do, language barriers prevent me from finding them. At the bottom I have listed entities which I know to operate some sort fiber backbone or have published plans to do so, but for whom I am still seeking an actual map.

Beyond Africa though, I decided to add a page linking to other map collections around the web.  Some of these have long been source data for me, others I came across later on.  Regardless, they’re all interesting and just as worth keeping an eye on as I hope my own collections are.  One difference between my own collection and most others is that I prefer links to pages published directly by the owner/operator of the network, rather than attempting to bring them all together into a unified map.  But it’s that original source data I prefer to view, despite the differing formats and levels of detail.  It also means that as companies and organizations add new fiber and enhance their networks, I don’t need to do anything except fix a broken link now and then.   But the others can be quite visually compelling, and make side by side route comparisons easier.  I think there is a place for both, and the more maps the better – so let me know of any I should add.

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Categories: Information · Internet Backbones · Undersea cables