High Speed Internet Arrives In East Africa

Thanks to a fiber optic cable 17,500 kilometers long, East Africa can now enjoy high speed Internet access.

It took two years to lay, stretches 17,500 kilometers, and cost $650. But the fiber optic cable operated by Seacom has brought high speed Internet access to East Africa, connecting South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Mozambique to Europe and Asia, the BBC reports.

Due to be launched last month, but delayed by the activity of Somalian pirates, the services were officially unveiled in Dar es Salaam and Mombasa. In Tanzania, the national electricity company, Tanesco, communications company TTCL, Tanzania Railways and the Universities of Dar es Salaam and Dodoma are already benefiting from the improved speeds.

Businesses that have been shelling out $1,000 a month for satellite Internet will see their costs slashed to around $600 each month. In Kenya, the government has been building a cable network to major towns, and will have fiber optic links for schools.