East African nations are combining efforts in order to bolster the fiber optic infrastructure across the region. It is part of East Africa’s move to increase Internet use and connectivity in the area.
According to ComputerWorld, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi have linked forces together on a $400 million investment in terrestrial fiber optic cables.
According to the report, the new network is expected to run nearly 16,000 kilometers and stretch from southern Sudan to Tanzania’s border with Zambia.
“The terrestrial network, dubbed the East Africa Backhaul System, will connect to the submarine fiber-optic cables on the East Africa[n] coast,” the report stated.
Analysts in Kenya believe the move will help continue the country’s efforts to promote information technology and the Internet sector. This comes after a United Nations official said Kenya was on the right track toward building their mobile sector and should be seen as an example to other nations in the region.
“The new cables will be a boost and a jump-starter for getting into the tough rural areas that companies have avoided, but where people desperately need the Internet,” said Ramon Gomez, a Spanish IT consultant for a British telecom who is interested in investing in the country.
By Janan Yussif
