The privately funded submarine fibre optic cable system will provide Ethiopia with international broadband fibre connectivity and a backhaul link through Djibouti.
“As we have seen in other countries that gained access to SEACOM, it is only a matter of time before the direct socio-economic benefits created by cheap and readily available bandwidth begin to manifest in Ethiopia and the region”, commented Brian Herlihy, CEO of SEACOM.
Amare Amsalu, ETC CEO, argued that SEACOM’s bandwidth availability in the country would result in lower telecommunications costs, new economic developments and opportunities and the enable of new technologies in Ethiopia, such as high definition TV, peer to peer networks, IPTV.
The SEACOM agreement adds to Ethiopia’s ambitious project of improving ICT infrastructure in the country. The government is rolling out a US$ 1.5 billion national initiative with regards to landline, mobile telecommunication services and fibre optic network.
SEACOM is a 76,56% African owned, 17,000 km submarine fibre optic cable, with a capacity of 1.28 Tbps, enabling for the first time eastern and southern African countries to connect to the rest of the world via India and Europe. Launched in July 2009, the cable connects South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania and inland countries Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia.
