Mobile networks are only as strong as the cables behind them. Every call, text and data session that leaves a tower has to travel somewhere, and in a growing capital city that “somewhere” is a fiber optic backbone running under roads, across intersections and between switching sites.
Between 2007 and 2010, ACTS delivered two major backbone projects for Zain in Khartoum:
- Phase I (2007): a turnkey fiber backbone covering 141 km across the capital.
- Phase II (2010): installation of a further 77 km as part of the second phase.
Together, that is 218 km of fiber laid across one of the busiest urban areas in Sudan.
What “turnkey” means
In a turnkey project the contractor takes responsibility for the whole job, from planning the route to handing over a working link. For a city backbone that typically covers route surveys, permits and coordination with the authorities, civil works, duct and cable installation, splicing, testing and documentation. The client receives a finished network rather than a set of parts to assemble.
Taking on Phase I as a turnkey project, and then being trusted with part of Phase II three years later, reflects the confidence a major operator placed in our team.
Why urban fiber is hard
Laying fiber in a dense city is very different from laying it in open land. Routes have to avoid existing utilities, traffic has to keep moving, and every road crossing needs careful planning. A single damaged section can take sites offline, so quality during installation and testing matters as much as speed.
This is where experience counts. By 2007 ACTS had already spent more than a decade on telecom infrastructure in Sudan, including duct supply and cabinet design work for Sudatel and fiber installations for Canar. That background shaped how we planned and delivered the Zain backbone.
The bigger picture
A backbone is invisible to most people, but it is what makes faster mobile data and reliable coverage possible. Projects like this one are part of the foundation that today’s mobile services in Khartoum still depend on.
The Zain backbone remains one of the largest infrastructure projects in our portfolio, alongside work for Sudatel, Canar, the Civil Aviation Authority and the Sea Ports Corporation.
Planning a network project?
From LAN and WAN design to fiber installation and data center cabling, ACTS has delivered network infrastructure in Sudan since 1992. Contact our team to discuss your project.