Google’s Equiano Subsea Cable, which seeks to connect Europe to Africa via the ocean, has reportedly made its final stop on Monday, landing in Melkbosstrand, Western Cape, South Africa.
The cable was originally announced to land in South Africa by June 2022.
This landing represents the end of the Equiano cable’s $14-billion journey, which began in Lisbon, Portugal in 2019 and had several stops along the Western coast of Africa. Its latest stop was in Swakopmund, Namibia, last month.
The Equiano cable serves as an internet infrastructure connection between South Africa, Portugal and several other countries including Nigeria. The cable has a capacity of 144 terabytes/second, making it the highest-capacity internet cable ever landed on the African continent.
Equiano’s landing in Melkbosstrand, North of Cape Town, South Africa, was confirmed by African telecom infrastructure firm Wiocc, which facilitated the cable’s landing.
According to an announcement from Wiocc, the cable “will have a direct impact on connectivity throughout the Southern Africa region, resulting in faster Internet speeds, reduced Internet prices and improved user experience.”
ISP group Openserve, which recently split from parent company Telkom, is expected to complete the cable’s landing in South Africa as Equiano’s official landing partner.
The cable is set to increase the internet speeds across the African continent by a significant amount. Namibia’s internet is expected to get 2.5 times faster, according to a new study by Africa Practice and Genesis Analytics. The cable system, which will be ready for service in the fourth quarter of 2022, will aid in creating an estimated 180,000 jobs in South Africa between 2022 and 2025.
By Luis Monzon
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