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South African ADSL subscribers have been following the recent launch of the new SEACOM cable with interest. Hopes are that this new high bandwidth line will not only make connecting to the Internet in South Africa faster, but make broadband cheaper as well. Stretching down the east coast of the African continent, the 17 000 km cable promises speeds of 1.18 terabytes per second and is placed to usher in a new era of economic growth in Africa.

The primary goal of the SEACOM cable is to bring high bandwidth connections to parts of Africa where broadband Internet connections are rare and expensive. The new broadband connections will give African countries the opportunity to compete effectively on a global scale. It is also hoped that the cable will bring high-powered Internet to rural communities and lessen the digital divide that has separated Africa for so long from the rest of the world.

The completion of the submarine fibre optic cable is the first phase of a much larger project. The next step in South Africa is to create a terrestrial backbone that connects the major cities to the landing point at Mtunzini 120 km north of Durban. This backbone will stretch from Durban to Johannesburg by end 2009 and will reach Cape Town by middle 2010 bringing high bandwidth lines to the whole of South Africa. Similar terrestrial lines are being placed in other African countries connecting the major cities and communities to the landing sites.

While the launch of the new line came along with promises of broadband prices dropping by as much as 90%, it is only large companies that will reap immediate benefits. For the average home user the advantages will only become apparent over time. The major advantage of the increased bandwidth will come in the form of higher connection speeds. Tariffs are sure to show reductions as service providers try to compete in what promises to be a burgeoning market for broadband. There are also predictions that with the bandwidth offered by the SEACOM lines that consumers can soon expect higher or even no caps on their broadband packages.

Most experts agree that the full effect of the SEACOM cable will only truly be felt by 2011. Increased bandwidth is certain to have a profound effect on the economies of many African countries in the next few years as they are finally able to compete on a level playing field with the rest of the world. The home broadband user, however, may have to wait a little longer before they can benefit.

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