Infrastructure Study for Solving Connectivity Problems Through the Nile River

Abstract

Fiber optics cables present various benefits over regular cables when used as a data transportation medium in today’s communication networks. It is noted that there are significant challenges in the connectivity of inner cities that are located far inland away from the coastal areas. Most of the networks developed in Africa, especially in Egypt, are connected via submarine cables flowing across coastal areas. Very few connections are constructed to connect inner cities by crossing the Nile. The Nile River is characterized by a wide area, offering a natural path for underwater cables’ laying areas. In this study, the analysis and evaluation of the laying of these cables along the bed of the Nile River in Egypt, rather than crossing it, is investigated. There are many issues with laying fiber optic cables across the Nile River. Some of these are the requirement of using more than one node over fiber optic cable for each. When the number of nodes increases, the cost of installation and drilling effort increases with each node. The fiber optic cable path along the Nile River is simulated with a numerical model (Delft-3D). Two different scenarios for laying cables were applied and analyzed to evaluate the effect of the predicted water surface and sediment profiles on the fiber optic cable path. Based on the results obtained, the fiber-optic network infrastructure is proposed to solve connectivity problems by laying fiber optic cables along the Nile River.