In 2024, a series of internet disruptions across Africa were linked to cuts of undersea fiber optic cables. As a countermeasure, Seacom, a Pan-African submarine cable provider, has launched internet services through low earth orbit (LEO) satellites in South Africa.
Seacom, a Pan-African submarine cable provider, recently unveiled its satellite internet services in South Africa. These services leverage low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, as announced in a press release on Monday, April 15.
For the launch, Seacom joined forces with Eutelsat Oneweb, a renowned British satellite internet provider. The partnership is designed to deliver superior internet connectivity, especially to businesses, in response to the growing need for high-speed connectivity throughout Africa.
The launch of Seacom’s satellite internet service is timely, given the recurrent disruptions in undersea cables that have been affecting connectivity in several parts of the continent. In February of last year, Seacom faced disruptions in its cable network in the Red Sea, which hindered internet connectivity between Africa and Europe, impacting countries like Egypt and Kenya. In March, technical glitches on the West African coast affected the WACS, MainOne, ACE, and SAT3 cables, leaving people in roughly ten countries without internet access.
In light of these incidents, satellite internet has emerged as a favored solution. Seacom has chosen to adopt LEO technology, which involves satellites orbiting the Earth at distances of approximately 2,000 kilometers or less. This technology promises lower latency for quicker communications and improved coverage for remote areas.
Alpheus Mangale, President and CEO of the Seacom Group, stated, “The end goal is to make the LEO service an essential value offering for organizations of all shapes and sizes. Connectivity is on track to become a wholesale service made up of different technologies that work together to meet clients’ needs and deliver the uptime and performance that’s expected from market leaders.”
Adoni Conrad Quenum
