Charis Chrisna
TechInAfrica – Fiber optics have been the trending topic for tech enthusiasts, avid online gamers, or even the public in general. The flexible, transparent cable system promises significantly lower attenuation which, in return, could serve as a potential advantage in the fields of telecommunication. Serving as a more suitable alternative to copper electrical wiring—albeit relatively more expensive in installation and maintenance—fiber optics carry higher bandwidth, immunity to electromagnetic interference, as well as information security compared to copper—which can be tapped with very little chance of detection. This was the reason why fiber optics are warmly welcomed in our tech society to date.
Particularly in rapidly developing tech regions of Africa, fiber optics can be very promising to the regions’ future. SEACOM, a submarine communications cable operator serving the east and west coasts of Africa, is now set to expand Africa’s telecommunications scene by studying (and applying, hopefully) the feasibility for fiber applications in Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya. Actualizing the idea with fiber optic cables and various network equipment, SEACOM aims to study the geographical and morphological aspects of the areas in which such equipment will be installed. Furthermore, the company also reaches certain areas of Europe and Asia-Pacific.
The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has also partnered with SEACOM in this expansion plan of theirs by granting the company a certain amount of financial support. With plans to add 8 new points of presence across Africa for businesses to connect with global facilities, SEACOM has reached their new Icolo data center in Mombasa, Kenya. Such points of presence will also be installed in several major cities—among them Nairobi and Kampala—as a framework of a more sustainable Internet access for companies and personal users alike.
In addition, SEACOM has FibreCo—also a company specializing in network establishments—under its wings only recently. This partnership only serves for the better, as they added roughly 60 network nodes across South Africa, along with six vital, yet similar, points of presence like the ones regarded above. SEACOM hopes to improve the overall infrastructure of the continent by providing better communications access, security, and reliability that will benefit African companies and its people.
Source: itnewsafrica.com
