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Facebook to boost internet connectivity in Africa
Facebook is collaborating with several telcos in Africa to bring faster internet connectivity, following Google that introduced Equiano, a private subsea cable connecting Europe to Africa.
Together with a consortium of Telcos including China Mobile International, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, STC, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone, and WIOCC, the social media giant plans to build a giant sub-sea cable to serve the African continent.
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“We’re excited to be collaborating with our 2Africa partners on the most comprehensive subsea cable that will serve the continent,” said Najam Ahmad, Vice President, Network Infrastructure at Facebook.
The project allocated a total of $1 billion is expected to be operational come 2023/4. Branded as 2Africa it will cover 37,000-kilometers, making it one of the longest undersea cable networks in the world. Africa’s capacity will be bigger than all the existing undersea cables that serve Africa combined. The design lets the cable carry up to 180Tbps.
It connects Europe (eastward via Egypt), the Middle East (via Saudi Arabia), and 21 landings in 16
Telkom Kenya in telehealth partnership
Kenyans can now have convenient and subsidized access to medical consultations through a doctorfounded healthcare service providing Telemedicine solutions. The medical consultancy service, Dial Daktari, powered by Telkom in partnership with Valentis Health, allows patients to access board licensed doctors, via their phones. This service will enable patients to observe physical distancing and to mitigate the risk of personto-person infection, as stipulated by health authorities during this pandemic. The Founder and CEO of Valentis Health, Dr. Don Othoro, says: “The integration of online and offline healthcare means that our doctors are able to deliver seamless consultations, just as they would in person.” countries in Africa. Alcatel Submarine Networks will lay the cable that is believed to be cost-effective, thanks to its underlying 16-fiber pair technology which allows it to carry greater and more cost-effective capacity.
Earlier this year in March 2020, a 36TB submarine cable, the Djibouti Africa Regional Express-1 (DARE 1), arrived in Mombasa. The cable is developed with investment from Kenya’s thirdlargest mobile operator Telkom, on the coast of Mombasa complementing the already existing subsea cables.
