Africa-Europe fiber optic cable laid, launching ‘new era’ for African communications

Africa-Europe fiber optic cable laid

JOHANNESBURG — Telecoms companies SEACOM and Cisco Systems say an undersea fiber optic cable linking Africa to Europe has been laid and will help Africa develop better high-speed Internet services.

The companies said in a statement Thursday marking the completion of the project — and the start of service — that the cable will make fast Internet cheaper and more accessible in places like Tanzania, Uganda and Mozambique.

SEACOM’s Brian Herhily says the launch marks the “dawn of a new era for communications between the continent and the rest of the world.”

The 17,000-kilometer (10,625-mile) cable allows information to be sent at speeds of 1.28 terabytes per second, fast enough to stream high-definition video.