SEACOM, a private sector funded undersea fibre optic cable, has gone live across East Africa today bringing super-fast communications to a previously satellite-only country. Local businesses are expecting significant benefits from the new 1,28 Terabytes per second (Tb/s) cable as large cost reductions and new connectivity spreads across the region.

The cable system, linking south and east Africa to global networks via India and Europe, was switched-on across Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Mozambique early this morning under the eyes of the global media. The launch went without a hitch with key SEACOM executives giving live broadcasts and presentations using the new system.

The launch of SEACOM opens up unprecedented opportunities, at a fraction of the current cost, as government, business leaders and citizens can now use the network as the platform to compete globally, drive economic growth and enhance the quality of life across the continent.

Commenting on the finalisation of the Project, Brian Herlihy, SEACOM CEO, said: “Today is a historic day for Africa and marks the dawn of a new era for communications between the continent and the rest of the world. Our tireless efforts of the past 24 months have come to fruition, and we are proud to be the first to provide affordable, high quality broadband capacity and experience to east African economies. Turning the switch ‘on’ creates a huge anticipation but ultimately, SEACOM will be judged on the changes that take place on the continent over the coming years.”

One area that is being touted for significant growth is the East African services industries. Kenya has been making significant noises over the last few months in the shape of KenCall, the country’s largest contact centre. The company opened a UK office last month and expects interest in offshoring to Kenya and other East African countries to boom over the next few months. The benefit of cheaper communications will also be keenly felt.

Eric Nesbitt, Chief Operating Officer of KenCall, commented: “Overnight, comparatively speaking, we will see a huge cost benefit and a marked increase in service quality," he said. "We have been spending an average of £20,000 a month on our satellite communications. Once the fibre optics go live, that will come down something like 85pc, to £3,200."