Google is laying the first undersea fiber cable connecting Africa to Australia, strengthening internet connectivity in one of the world's underserved regions.
Umoja cable
New cable route
The new line will start in Kenya and run overland through Uganda, Rwanda , Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, and then cross the ocean to Australia. Known as Umoja, the cable will be a continuation of Google's earlier Equiano fiber optic cable connecting Africa to Europe.
Improving connectivity in Africa
New infrastructure aims to expand coverage across the African continent, which this year faced damage to submarine cables. Currently, relatively few submarine communications links Africa to the rest of the world, and terrestrial infrastructure is limited, making it difficult to redirect traffic.
The importance of digital transformation
US President Joe Biden and Kenyan President William Ruto on a state visit aimed at strengthening US ties with Africa. The continent is becoming a new arena for global competition for influence in technology and communications. Microsoft has announced plans to build a $1 billion geothermal data center in Kenya as part of a multi-year program to significantly increase cloud computing capacity in East Africa.
“Access to advanced technologies, supported by a reliable and resilient digital infrastructure, is critical to growing economic opportunity. This is an important moment for Kenya's digital transformation journey,” says Meg Whitman, US Ambassador to Kenya and former eBay executive.
Collaboration with Liquid Technologies
The Umoja terrestrial cable route was installed in collaboration with Liquid Technologies, creating a highly scalable route across Africa, including access points that will allow other countries to take advantage of this network.
Glossary
- Google is an American multinational company specializing in Internet services and products.
- Umoja is a new submarine fiber optic cable connecting Africa to Australia.
- Equiano is a fiber optic cable previously laid by Google connecting Africa to Europe.
- Liquid Technologies is a company developing telecommunications infrastructure in Africa.
- Meg Whitman - US Ambassador to Kenya, former CEO of eBay.
Links
Answers to questions
What is the goal of Google's Umoja project?
How is Umoja cable routed?
Why is Umoja important for Africa?
What other technology initiatives are underway in Africa?
What is the geopolitical significance of tech projects in Africa?
Hashtags
Save a link to this article
Discussion of the topic – Google builds first internet cable connecting Africa to Australia: a new horizon for digital communications
Google has announced a new submarine fiber cable, Umoja, that will be the first direct connection between Africa and Australia, expanding internet access in one of the world's least connected regions.
Latest comments
8 comments
Write a comment
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are checked *
Аника
What great news! Directly connecting Africa to Australia will open up many opportunities for the continent. 🌍🌐
Марко
Yes, this is an important step to improve internet connectivity in Africa. I hope the new cable will help develop infrastructure and business. 💼🚀
Эмили
I wonder how this will affect the availability of cloud services and data centers in Africa? A new cable will definitely help with this. ☁️💻
Бартош
Great initiative by Google! I am sure this will give impetus to the development of technology on the continent. And Kenya will become an important IT hub in the region. 🇰🇪🚀
Герхард
Ha, so what are all these new cables for? The Internet in Africa already works poorly, it is of little use. 🙄 It would be better to invest money in something useful.
Мария
Gerhard, don't be such a skeptic! 😄 Improving communication is the key to the development of education, medicine and many other areas. This is an investment in the future of the continent!
Витор
I agree with Maria. The new cable is a chance for Africa to reach a new level of digitalization. 💡 And competition from such giants as Google and Microsoft will only be beneficial.
Анджела
Yes, progress cannot be stopped! 🚀 I hope that cables will be followed by new data centers and cloud services. This is a huge opportunity for African startups and IT companies.