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david-kariuki-seacom

Seacom today launched a new high-capacity terrestrial network route between Nairobi and Kampala.

Seacom deploys a new high-capacity Nairobi–Kampala route

<div class="block-richtext">NAIROBI, KENYA, 17 JUNE 2026 – Seacom today launched a new high-capacity terrestrial network route between Nairobi and Kampala, reinforcing one of East Africa’s most critical digital corridors and improving how businesses across the region access reliable, high-performance internet connectivity. ​The new route connects key infrastructure hubs in Nairobi, Kisumu and Kampala, creating a more resilient and scalable pathway for traffic moving inland from subsea cable landing stations in Mombasa. It effectively upgrades a long-established corridor into a modern, high-capacity backbone designed to support growing demand for data across East Africa.“We’re strengthening a route that already plays a central role in regional connectivity,” says David Kariuki, Chief Technology Officer at Seacom. “We are ensuring that this segment is served by a high-capacity, carrier-grade network that can support the scale and performance today’s digital economy requires.”Built for a rapidly growing digital economyThe Nairobi–Kampala corridor underpins a wide range of industries, from telecommunications and financial services to cloud platforms and digital commerce. As these sectors expand, demand for consistent, low-latency connectivity continues to rise.The new route is designed to meet that demand by improving access to international bandwidth and enabling faster, more reliable data movement between markets.“The biggest impact will be felt across the broader internet economy,” Kariuki says. “From service providers and banks to cloud operators and e-commerce platforms, organisations depend on stable connectivity to operate and grow. This investment directly improves their ability to deliver services.”Beyond Kenya and Uganda, the route also strengthens regional integration. It provides a more efficient pathway into neighbouring markets such as Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan, supporting cross-border digital services and regional trade.<img alt="Nairobi-KampalaMap-June-Update-FINAL" class="richtext-image full-width" height="526" src="https://seacom-cms.aws.seacom.io/media/images/Nairobi-KampalaMap-June-Update-FINAL.width-800.png" width="800">Greater resilience and service availabilityReliability has been a key focus in the design of the new route, particularly given historical challenges along this corridor.Seacom has implemented Automated Switched Optical Network (ASON), allowing traffic to be rerouted automatically in under 50 milliseconds if a fault occurs. This ensures continuity of service even in the event of multiple network disruptions.“Service availability has been a major consideration,” Kariuki explains. “By managing and controlling more of the route ourselves, and adding automated switching, we can maintain uptime even when there are breaks along the network.” The route delivers latency of approximately 7 milliseconds to Nairobi and 13 milliseconds to Mombasa, supporting real-time applications such as financial transactions, cloud workloads and enterprise services.In addition to the traditional A104 corridor, Seacom will be using an alternative pathway via Narok, Kericho, Kisumu. This dual-route approach reduces dependence on a single path and strengthens overall network resilience.A further differentiator is the use of two border crossings, Malaba and Busia, instead of one. This reduces the risk of a single point of failure and improves network stability for customers operating across borders.Scalable infrastructure for long-term growthThe Nairobi–Kampala route has been built with future demand in mind. At launch, the network activates 1Tbps of capacity, with the ability to scale up to 30 Tbps as demand grows. This allows Seacom to expand capacity quickly without requiring major redesigns or additional infrastructure builds.“Demand for data in East Africa is accelerating,” says Kariuki. “We’ve designed this network to scale alongside that growth, so clients can increase capacity as their needs evolve.” Built on DWDM technology, the route supports a range of high-capacity interfaces, including 1GE, 10GE, 100GE and 400GE, enabling flexible connectivity options for enterprises, service providers and hyperscale customers.Strengthening Seacom’s regional network strategyThe new route forms part of Seacom’s broader investment in East Africa’s digital infrastructure.“This is a continuation of the work we’ve been doing to strengthen our network across the region,” Kariuki says. “We upgraded our IP network in Uganda last year, and this route builds on that foundation by improving both capacity and quality across a key corridor.”As demand for digital services continues to grow across East Africa, the Nairobi–Kampala route provides a more resilient and scalable foundation for connectivity, supporting economic growth and enabling the next phase of the region’s digital expansion.About SeacomSeacom is Africa’s pioneering provider of dedicated connectivity, Cloud, and security services, supporting business growth and digital transformation across the continent. With a network that spans from South Africa to Europe and Asia, Seacom empowers African businesses to connect seamlessly and securely to global markets. Seacom was the first high-speed fibre operator to connect Africa to the world, starting with the connection of Africa to Asia and Europe by laying the first broadband submarine cable system along Africa's eastern and southern coastlines. Today, our focus is beyond connectivity with a suite of Business Solutions and Services. Initially envisioned by a group of African investors in 2007, Seacom is a privately owned and operated pan-African ICT enabler. Seacom offers an international network of best-in-class quality services. Seacom is a privately owned, operated, and diversified ICT provider of scale with a presence in eight countries. Seacom is industry agnostic, offering a wide range of voice, managed networks, security, cloud, and server hosting solutions and services to businesses, network carriers, service providers and enterprises.Seacom media teamStone media@stone.consulting +27 11 447 0168</div>

article-the-digital-future-is-convergence

Across Africa’s fastest-growing markets, digital transformation has moved from aspiration to boardroom priority.

Old foundations, new frontiers: Why infrastructure modernisation is Africa’s most urgent opportunity.

<div class="block-richtext">By Alpheus Mangale, Seacom Group Chief Executive OfficerAcross Africa’s fastest-growing markets, digital transformation has moved from aspiration to boardroom priority. Cloud adoption, artificial intelligence, data platforms, and IoT-enabled ecosystems are no longer fringe conversations, they are central to business strategy. Investment is rising. Ambitions are bold. Yet despite this momentum, many digital initiatives stall before delivering meaningful value. The reason is rarely a lack of vision or talent. More often, it is outdated infrastructure, the invisible barrier quietly undermining Africa’s digital potential.For years, organisations have concentrated on the application layer: acquiring the right tools, hiring skilled people, and experimenting with cutting edge platforms. But innovation cannot thrive in isolation. It depends entirely on what lies beneath, the networks, data centres, and security frameworks that move, process, and protect data at scale.Consider the financial services industry, where milliseconds determine whether a transaction is approved, a fraud alert is triggered, or a trade is executed at the right price. For banks and payment providers operating across multiple African markets, unreliable or fragmented infrastructure is not an inconvenience, it is an existential threat to customer trust and regulatory compliance. When these foundations are outdated or poorly integrated, even the most compelling technology strategies struggle to progress beyond pilot projects.This misalignment is more common than many leaders realise. Businesses frequently assume they are digitally ready simply because they have migrated to the cloud or launched an AI initiative. But readiness is not defined by intent or partial deployment. It is determined by whether infrastructure can support real-time, secure data flows; scale dynamically under pressure; and integrate seamlessly across on-premises, cloud, and edge environments. The airline industry illustrates this acutely. Modern carriers depend on real-time data exchange across reservation systems, air traffic control, ground operations, and customer facing platforms simultaneously. A network outage or latency spike does not merely cause inconvenience, it grounds flights, disrupts thousands of passengers, and triggers cascading operational failures. Without robust infrastructure, digital ambition quickly becomes digital liability.Legacy systems are rarely the obvious point of failure, and that is precisely what makes them so dangerous. Their impact is gradual and cumulative. They slow deployment cycles, limit scalability, fragment data, and quietly erode the performance that modern digital services demand. In mission critical environments such as healthcare, energy, and public safety, this erosion carries consequences far beyond revenue.A hospital network relying on ageing infrastructure risks delayed access to patient records, compromised diagnostic systems, and interrupted communication between care teams.A power utility with fragmented data systems cannot respond swiftly to grid anomalies or prevent outages before they escalate. When infrastructure starts dictating the pace of operations rather than enabling them, it ceases to be a technical issue. It becomes a matter of public consequence.The instinct to patch ageing systems rather than redesign them is understandable. Overhauls appear costly, disruptive, and complex. But layering new technologies onto old foundations only deepens complexity.In retail and e-commerce, where peak trading periods such as Black Friday or payday weekends place sudden, intense demand on platforms, infrastructure that cannot scale instantly translates directly into lost revenue and damaged brand equity. Consumers do not tolerate slow checkouts or failed payments, they simply leave.The same applies to telecommunications providers managing millions of concurrent connections, where network performance is both the product and the promise. At the same time, data volumes are growing exponentially across every sector. Logistics companies tracking fleets across vast geographies, insurers processing claims through AI-driven models, and governments delivering digital public services all depend on infrastructure capable of handling dynamic, high frequency data flows reliably and at scale. Networks that cannot meet this demand don’t just slow growth, they make innovation fragile and reversible.Perhaps nowhere is the infrastructure imperative more consequential than in the race for artificial intelligence (AI). AI is rapidly reshaping industries, economies, and competitive landscapes globally and Africa cannot afford to be a spectator. Yet AI workloads are among the most demanding of any technology; they require low-latency networks, high-throughput data pipelines, substantial compute capacity, and the ability to process and move vast datasets in real time. Without modernised infrastructure as the foundation, Africa’s AI ambitions will remain precisely that, ambitions!.Models cannot be trained effectively on fragmented networks. Insights cannot be delivered at speed across unreliable connections. And the transformative potential of AI in agriculture, healthcare, financial inclusion, and public services will be perpetually constrained by the limitations of the systems beneath them. The countries and organisations that invest in infrastructure today are not merely upgrading their technology, they are purchasing their right to compete in an AI-driven world. Those that delay risk not just falling behind, but being structurally locked out of the next era of global economic growth.Yet modernising infrastructure without securing it is only half the battle. As Africa’s digital footprint expands, so too does its attack surface. Cybercriminals and threat actors increasingly target critical infrastructure, financial systems, energy grids, healthcare networks, and government platforms, precisely because the consequences of disruption are so severe.A single breach in a banking platform can erode years of customer trust in moments. A ransomware attack on a hospital network can paralyse patient care and cost lives. For a continent building its digital foundations at speed, the risk is not hypothetical, it is present and growing.Africa recorded some of the highest rates of cyberattacks globally in recent years, yet many organisations remain critically under-protected, operating on infrastructure that was never designed with modern threat landscapes in mind. Cybersecurity cannot be an afterthought bolted onto legacy systems or addressed only after an incident occurs. It must be architected into the foundation from the outset, embedded across networks, data flows, cloud environments, and edge deployments. Infrastructure modernisation and cybersecurity are not separate agendas. They are two sides of the same strategic imperative. To build for the future without building securely is not progress, it is exposure.The next wave of digital transformation will be defined by how organisations respond to this reality. Leading businesses are already moving towards software defined, automated infrastructure that adapts in real time, converges connectivity and security, and is built with future demand in mind, not just today’s requirements.For Africa, the opportunity is extraordinary. The continent stands at a unique crossroads, with the chance to leapfrog legacy constraints and build globally competitive digital ecosystems. But seizing that opportunity requires treating infrastructure not as a back office cost, but as a frontline transformational growth driver.Africa’s next chapter will not be written in boardrooms or strategy documents. It will be determined by what runs beneath them, the secured networks, systems, and infrastructure that either unlock potential or quietly contain it. The continent has everything it needs to become a global digital leader: a young, connected population, a growing entrepreneurial ecosystem, and markets hungry for innovation. What it cannot afford is to let outdated foundations become the ceiling on that ambition. Modernising infrastructure is not a technical exercise. It is an act of economic sovereignty and the most consequential investment Africa can make in its own digital future.</div>

richard-schumacher-seacom

In today's digital economy, continuous connectivity is no longer a luxury but an expectation, making uninterrupted uptime essential.

The power of redundancy: Why resilience is the new competitive advantage

<div class="block-richtext">By Richard Schumacher, Seacom Group Managing Director, Digital InfrastructureIn today's digital economy, continuous connectivity is no longer a luxury but an expectation, making uninterrupted uptime essential. Yet many organisations still treat redundancy as a technical afterthought rather than a strategic necessity, often deprioritising it because the risks it mitigates remain invisible until disruption strikes. When systems run smoothly, resilience feels optional, but the absence of redundancy becomes starkly evident as a critical vulnerability during outages. Even minor disruptions can quickly escalate into severe operational, financial, and reputational damage.From invisible risk to immediate impactA brief interruption can halt transactions; delays cascade into backlogs and customer frustration, leading to lost revenue, SLA penalties, inefficiencies, and long-term harm to trust and reputation. What makes this risk especially dangerous is the illusion of "almost always on" connectivity, which breeds complacency and the false assumption of stability rather than designing systems with inevitable failure in mind. Organisations begin to assume stability rather than design for failure. It is where the real risk lies. It is not in the outage itself, but in the lack of preparation for when it inevitably happens.The single point of failure problemA common flaw in today's networks is reliance on a single critical route or exchange point, creating a fragile architecture where one failure can take entire operations offline. Without alternative paths, there is no buffer, no flexibility and no true resilience. In these environments, what might start as a technical fault rapidly escalates into a business crisis. True resilience requires a fundamental mindset shift: moving from assuming stability to engineering for failure.What redundancy really means in a modern networkRedundancy in modern networks means far more than simple duplication. It involves multiple independent paths that allow dynamic rerouting of traffic, automatic failover systems that enable near-instant recovery without human intervention, geographic and infrastructure diversity that reduces exposure to regional disruptions, and continuous monitoring paired with intelligent routing to ensure optimal performance at all times. When a route fails, modern networks adapt seamlessly; traffic is automatically redirected, capacity rebalanced, and services continue uninterrupted, often without end users noticing. Redundancy thus becomes continuous operational assurance, not just a backup.Beyond uptime: Redundancy as a performance engineBeyond maintaining uptime, redundancy enhances overall network performance. Multiple available paths enable intelligent traffic distribution, reducing congestion and latency while ensuring consistent, predictable service, especially critical for businesses operating across diverse regions. If one route becomes congested or degraded, traffic is swiftly rerouted to healthier paths, helping prevent bottlenecks before they affect users. The result is not only resilience but predictability, enabling applications to perform reliably, customer experience to remain stable, and operations to continue seamlessly even under pressure.Designing for stress, not just stabilityModern digital infrastructure must be designed not only for stability but also to perform under stress. With rising traffic volumes, accelerating cloud adoption, and the growing centrality of real-time applications, from fintech to AI-driven systems, capacity alone is insufficient. Networks must absorb sudden demand spikes, maintain performance during partial failures, and dynamically adapt to changing conditions. Redundancy enables this adaptability, ensuring that infrastructure operates not just in ideal conditions but also when things go wrong.The role of diversity in reducing systemic riskAt the core of effective redundancy lies diversity: route diversity ensures traffic can travel through multiple independent paths; geographic diversity reduces exposure to regional disruptions; and infrastructure diversity spans cables, data centres, and power sources. Diversity spreads risk and prevents a single incident, be it a fibre cut, power outage, or environmental disruption, from triggering widespread outages. For a continent as vast and geographically varied as Africa, this is not simply a technical consideration, but a strategic imperative.Redundancy as a critical strategyForward-thinking organisations now view redundancy not just as insurance but as a critical business strategy embedded deeply within their risk mitigation and growth plans. Redundancy delivers a competitive advantage by enabling businesses to operate more predictably, recover faster from disruptions, provide consistent customer experiences, and scale confidently into new regions.Those who fail to integrate redundancy strategically often find themselves reacting to failures at high cost. The gap between resilient and reactive organisations is widening, underscoring resilience as a key differentiator.As Africa's digital economy expands, infrastructure demands will intensify. Always-on connectivity will become the baseline, while performance under pressure will define leaders. Resilience will be foundational to trust in digital services. Future-ready infrastructure will be characterised not merely by capacity but by its ability to anticipate failure, adapt instantly, maintain performance across diverse environments, and scale without compromising reliability. In this future, redundancy is no longer optional; it is essential for sustained digital growth and trust.A shift in perspectiveUltimately, the power of redundancy lies in its ability to reframe the infrastructure's role. It elevates connectivity from a mere utility in the background to a strategic enabler of business continuity, growth, and innovation. The question organisations face today is no longer whether they can afford to invest in redundancy, but rather if they can afford not to.<h2 data-block-key="di66u">About Seacom</h2>Seacom is Africa’s pioneering provider of dedicated connectivity, Cloud, and security services, supporting business growth and digital transformation across the continent. With a network that spans from South Africa to Europe and Asia, Seacom empowers African businesses to connect seamlessly and securely to global markets. Seacom was the first high-speed fibre operator to connect Africa to the world, starting with the connection of Africa to Asia and Europe by laying the first broadband submarine cable system along Africa's eastern and southern coastlines. Today, our focus is beyond connectivity with a suite of Business Solutions and Services. Initially envisioned by a group of African investors in 2007, Seacom is a privately owned and operated pan-African ICT enabler. Seacom offers an international network of best-in-class quality services. Seacom is a privately owned, operated, and diversified ICT provider of scale with a presence in eight countries. Seacom is industry agnostic, offering a wide range of voice, managed networks, security, cloud, and server hosting solutions and services to businesses, network carriers, service providers and enterprises.<h2 data-block-key="erctn">Seacom media team</h2>Stone <a href="mailto:media@stone.consulting">media@stone.consulting</a> +27 11 447 0168</div>

news-prenesh-padayachee

Seacom has launched Seacom PeeringReach, a cost-effective solution designed to extend South Africa's Internet Exchange fabric to local municipalities and regional hubs.

Seacom launches PeeringReach to cut local IXP connectivity costs

<div class="block-richtext">JOHANNESBURG, 21 April 2026 - Seacom today announced the launch of Seacom PeeringReach at ZANOG iWeek 2026, Irene Country Lodge. Seacom PeeringReach is a cost-effective Layer 2 connectivity solution designed to extend South Africa's Internet Exchange (IXP) fabric directly into local municipalities and regional hubs, addressing the high costs and complexity traditionally associated with accessing national exchange connectivity.Delivered over Seacom's national long-distance fibre backbone, Seacom PeeringReach provides reliable, SLA-backed access to South Africa’s leading Internet Exchanges, including JINX, CINX, DINX and NAPAfrica. The service offers a simpler, more affordable alternative to indirect routing via upstream providers or large‑scale infrastructure investments, helping customers connect directly to the IXP ecosystem.Unlocking broader exchange access at a lower costHistorically, gaining access to South Africa's peering ecosystem often required indirect connectivity paths or significant investment in national infrastructure, creating cost and operational barriers for networks operating in smaller towns and municipalities. Seacom PeeringReach removes these barriers by extending exchange access into local and regional areas through a single, integrated Layer 2 service.By making exchange connectivity more accessible and affordable, the solution enables ISPs, regional carriers, enterprises and content providers to improve network efficiency and performance, regardless of geographic location."This launch is about fundamentally rebalancing access to South Africa's digital infrastructure," said Prenesh Padayechee, Group Chief Technology &amp; Operations Officer, Digital Infrastructure at Seacom. "Seacom PeeringReach gives networks in local municipalities a more ​ cost-effective way to connect into the national peering ecosystem, helping them improve performance while keeping connectivity costs under control."Improving efficiency and simplifying network operationsA key benefit of Seacom PeeringReach is its dedicated Layer 2 design, which eliminates the inefficiencies associated with indirect, multi-hop routing paths. By enabling more direct access to Internet Exchanges, the service improves traffic efficiency, predictability and overall network performance.For many operators, expanding network reach has traditionally involved lengthy and expensive infrastructure projects. Seacom PeeringReach changes this by enabling growth through simple provisioning rather than construction, significantly reducing both cost and time to market."PeeringReach is not just a connectivity product; it is an affordable enablement platform," added Padayachee. "We are helping regional networks scale faster, operate more efficiently, and participate more meaningfully and affordably in the digital economy. By levelling the playing field for regional networks, Seacom PeeringReach improves national traffic efficiency, resilience and digital inclusion, reinforcing Seacom's role as a key national interconnection enabler," he says.The service supports bandwidth options from 1 Gbps to 10 Gbps without requiring major infrastructure investment. ​Strengthening South Africa's digital ecosystemThe introduction of Seacom PeeringReach reinforces Seacom's role as a national interconnection enabler, extending exchange access to areas that have historically been underserved. Through this approach, Seacom is:<ul><li data-block-key="eldsc">Lowering the cost barrier to Internet Exchange access</li><li data-block-key="530mg">Enabling more affordable connectivity for local and regional ​ networks</li><li data-block-key="5n9pc">Improving national traffic efficiency and resilience</li><li data-block-key="4b48h">Enabling broader digital inclusion and economic participation</li></ul>Seacom designed the service for a wide range of customers, including ISPs serving local municipalities, regional carriers, enterprises with network-dependent operations, and content and cloud providers seeking improved performance in regional markets.Launch at ZANOG iWeek 2026The official unveiling of Seacom PeeringReach at ZANOG iWeek, a key gathering of network operators and internet infrastructure stakeholders, highlights Seacom's strategic role in advancing national interconnection and delivering high-performance, reliable and cost-effective connectivity solutions across South Africa.</div>

When tech visionaries such as Bill Gates spoke of a "digital future" in the 1990s, few could have predicted just how accurate that would become.

The digital future is convergence!

<div class="block-richtext">By Alpheus Mangale, Seacom Group CEOWhen tech visionaries such as Bill Gates spoke of a "digital future" in the 1990s, few could have predicted just how accurate that would become. Back then, the internet, mobile phones, and digital media were only beginning to reshape industries, communication, and daily life. They were laying the foundations for even greater innovation.Fast forward two decades, and technological progress has been extraordinary. We have seen breakthroughs in biotechnology and gene editing, the arrival of autonomous vehicles, and satellites beaming internet across the globe. The list grows each year.Today, being "digital" is not enough. Progress requires integrating networks, cloud, data, and security - this is digital convergence. Imagine a doctor using real-time AI insights to catch disease early and predict health risks before they escalate, powered by a robust ICT infrastructure.Or consider a driverless car, a data centre on wheels, which is dependent on seamless connectivity and cloud platforms to process massive amounts of data in real time. Digital convergence is the force that makes all this possible. The future is digital, but true transformation comes from convergence: integrating networks, data, cloud, and security. It is Seacom's focus.Starting as an undersea cable operator, we recognised early on in our journey that Africa needed more than just connectivity. As a proudly African company, Seacom had the benefit of intimately knowing and understanding the continent's unique challenges and boundless opportunities.In particular, we recognised ICT as fundamental to Africa's growth ambitions. Technology enables cross-border trade, advances digital inclusion, and drives growth in sectors such as healthcare, education, and agriculture. The continent needed integrated ICT solutions to support this growth.We were confident we could help our clients, both in Africa and beyond, unlock scalable and sustainable opportunities. This realisation would later inform our current business model, which provides Digital Infrastructure and Digital Services as a pan-African converged ICT services provider.Today, we enable businesses to compete in local and global markets. By connecting businesses to markets, suppliers to customers, and people to people, Seacom delivers seamless integration and operational efficiency. It helps clients harness opportunities both in Africa and beyond.With capabilities spanning high-speed internet, hosting, managed services, and advanced security, Seacom partners with your organisation to move beyond basic connectivity and enable essential digital transformation. Through these services, we help your business increase efficiency, enhance security, and realise the potential of digitalisation.We deliver comprehensive, end-to-end digital ICT solutions and managed services designed to help enterprises accelerate digital transformation. Our suite spans Cloud, Communication, Connectivity, Cybersecurity, and Smart Networking, built to enable efficient and secure digitisation for businesses, schools, and governments.Convergence in actionTake the banking sector. Here, downtime is not simply an inconvenience. It is a direct threat to trust and revenue.For a major financial services client, Seacom designed a hybrid solution that combines satellite, fixed wireless, and fibre technologies. Hundreds of ATMs and branches now run on always-on connectivity supported by redundancy.The result is uninterrupted service for customers and peace of mind for the bank. That is convergence at work; using the right mix of technologies for the right outcome.Now consider the online gaming industry, where protecting sensitive personal and financial data is critical. Fraud, cyberattacks, and downtime have a significant impact on operators. For one client, Seacom deployed a complete network security stack, in partnership with one of its security service provider.This solution integrates global internet connections, protection against distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS), security for application programming interfaces (APIs), and strict access controls. Players enjoy a seamless, safe experience. Operators protect both their revenues and their reputations.These are concrete examples of how convergence transforms complexity into clarity, risk into resilience, and digital capability into a competitive advantage for organisations.So, what sets us apart?Seacom is privately owned, enabling fast decision-making and prompt client support. Our adaptable, industry-agnostic solutions and proven record help organisations scale and grow in a fast-changing environment. Seacom emphasises responsiveness and proactive service, maintaining direct technical, commercial, and executive communication to deliver tailored, timely support.Convergence is key to addressing the digital divide in Africa.Africa is on the cusp of a massive digital transformation. The African Union's 2020–2030 strategy envisions a unified digital society powered by infrastructure, skills, and innovation, while narrowing the digital divide.Africa already has strong fundamentals with a young, tech-savvy population and high mobile penetration. But to unlock this potential, convergence is essential. The digital divide extends beyond access. It includes high costs, fragmented ICT systems, and unequal access to opportunities. By bundling services into an integrated solution, convergence lowers duplication, reduces costs, and broadens access to digital services.Seacom is uniquely positioned to help bridge this divide. We have one of the most extensive ICT networks in Africa, including 35,000 km of fibre and lit capacity across six submarine cable systems. We provide the backbone for convergence, delivering scalable and sustainable services to key sectors, including healthcare, education, and financial services.Convergence powers AIArtificial Intelligence is now essential. For organisations to realise its value, converged ICT must deliver the scale, speed, and connectivity AI requires. It enables AI-powered business decisions and transformation.By integrating secure networks, flexible cloud, and fast data access, converged ICT empowers organisations to maximise the benefits of AI. Without this convergence, AI's impact is restricted. With it, your business can achieve more.At Seacom, we believe Africa's digital future relies on convergence. We drive the adoption of integrated ICT to fuel growth and innovation.About SeacomSeacom is Africa’s pioneering provider of dedicated connectivity, Cloud, and security services, supporting business growth and digital transformation across the continent. With a network that spans from South Africa to Europe and Asia, Seacom empowers African businesses to connect seamlessly and securely to global markets. Seacom was the first high-speed fibre operator to connect Africa to the world, starting with the connection of Africa to Asia and Europe by laying the first broadband submarine cable system along Africa's eastern and southern coastlines. Today, our focus is beyond connectivity with a suite of Business Solutions and Services. Initially envisioned by a group of African investors in 2007, Seacom is a privately owned and operated pan-African ICT enabler. Seacom offers an international network of best-in-class quality services. Seacom is a privately owned, operated, and diversified ICT provider of scale with a presence in eight countries. Seacom is industry agnostic, offering a wide range of voice, managed networks, security, cloud, and server hosting solutions and services to businesses, network carriers, service providers and enterprises.Seacom media teamStone media@stone.consulting +27 11 447 0168</div>

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Seacom, Africa's original digital fibre backbone and trusted partner for business growth, unveiled a refreshed brand identity today at AfricaCom 2025 in Cape Town.

A bold new chapter for Seacom as the African connectivity pioneer rebrands

<div class="block-richtext">Johannesburg, 12 November 2025 — Seacom, Africa's original digital fibre backbone infrastructure and trusted partner for future business growth, today unveiled a refreshed brand identity at AfricaCom 2025 in Cape Town. Seacom is the provider of secure services, connecting the continent and beyond. The brand refresh marks a bold new chapter in the company's history and reaffirms its commitment to innovation, client focus, and digital leadership.The rebrand marks a strategic leap for Seacom, showcasing its expanded capabilities, renewed purpose, and ambitious vision for Africa's digital future. "Our new brand embodies the energy, innovation and growth we are driving across the continent and beyond ," said Alpheus Mangale, Seacom Group CEO."This is about more than design, it's about purpose. We are a dynamic, forward-thinking company deeply connected to Africa's growth story, ready to power the next wave of digital progress across the continent," adds Mandisa Ntloko-Petersen, Seacom Group Chief Marketing Officer."The new refreshed brand representation with its strong tagline supports the client-centric approach of Seacom, always guiding, partnering and accompanying the client on their digital journey. The new tagline of taking you beyond acts as an intensifier beyond the present, unleashing the business potential that a relationship with Seacom can bring beyond the present," adds Ntloko-Petersen.Founded in 2009, Seacom made history by connecting East Africa to the world with the region's first subsea fibre cable. This milestone bridged the digital divide and ignited a wave of growth across the continent. Since then, Seacom has evolved into a continental-scale technology partner, operating one of Africa's most extensive networks that supports millions of users and enterprises across every primary industry."The announcement of the brand refresh follows the recent presentation of the Seacom 2.0 project, a next-generation subsea cable system that will transform connectivity across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Together, these milestones signal the start of a new era for Seacom, its clients, and Africa's digital future," says Mangale. "The refreshed brand represents how Seacom opens up Africa to the world and the world to Africa, enabling business growth from the tip of the continent to the rest of the world," adds Mangale.Seacom created Africa's original digital backbone and continues to partner with enterprises at scale. By integrating cloud, security and managed services on the same foundation, Seacom delivers growth through integrated solutions and a clearer path to value. Seacom operates through two focused divisions:<ul><li data-block-key="ff5ag">Digital Infrastructure: Delivering the backbone, subsea cables, terrestrial fibre, and data centres that keep Africa connected.</li><li data-block-key="8trsd">Digital Services: Building on that foundation with enterprise cloud computing solutions, advanced security services, and managed IT offerings that help businesses grow without complexity.</li></ul>The company serves content providers, carriers, service providers, and enterprises across key sectors, including finance, hospitality, and mining. "With our new refreshed brand, Seacom focuses on empowering Africa's digital future through innovation and partnership," concludes Mangale.About SeacomSeacom is Africa’s pioneering provider of dedicated connectivity, Cloud, and security services, supporting business growth and digital transformation across the continent. With a network that spans from South Africa to Europe and Asia, Seacom empowers African businesses to connect seamlessly and securely to global markets. Seacom was the first high-speed fibre operator to connect Africa to the world, starting with the connection of Africa to Asia and Europe by laying the first broadband submarine cable system along Africa's eastern and southern coastlines. Today, our focus is beyond connectivity with a suite of Business Solutions and Services. Initially envisioned by a group of African investors in 2007, Seacom is a privately owned and operated pan-African ICT enabler. Seacom offers an international network of best-in-class quality services. Seacom is a privately owned, operated, and diversified ICT provider of scale with a presence in eight countries. Seacom is industry agnostic, offering a wide range of voice, managed networks, security, cloud, and server hosting solutions and services to businesses, network carriers, service providers and enterprises.Seacom media teamStone media@stone.consulting +27 11 447 0168</div>

overland-submarine-cables-300x225

When it comes to digital infrastructure in Africa, few things are more pressing than the need for faster, more resilient, and more direct connectivity between the continent’s east and west coasts.

Africa’s Future Internet Could Be On Innovative Overland Submarine Cables

nic-breytenbach-seacom-senior-transmission-arch

When it comes to digital infrastructure in Africa, few things are more pressing than the need for faster, more resilient, and more direct connectivity between the continent's east and west coasts.

Africa's future internet could be on innovative overland submarine cables

<div class="block-richtext">By Nic Breytenbach, Senior Transmission Architect at SeacomWhen it comes to digital infrastructure in Africa, few things are more pressing than the need for faster, more resilient, and more direct connectivity between the continent's east and west coasts. As things stand today, if a submarine cable is cut north of Mombasa, data traffic must travel all the way down to South Africa, across the country, and back up the West Coast to reach Europe or the Americas. That detour not only adds significant cost but also doubles latency—something no cloud-reliant business or internet user wants.However, what if we flipped the model? We aim to explore an innovative new concept: utilising submarine cable technology to address the longstanding challenges in Africa's terrestrial infrastructure.What's the Big Idea?Seacom's Head of Transmission Engineering, Nic Breytenbach and Afrim Beka, Director of Submarine Network Solutions at Nokia conceptualised using Subsea technology over land. The key problem is that building a direct fibre route from East to West Africa has never been done. Why? Because it's complicated, and there are two main reasons for this:<ol><li data-block-key="554on">Infrastructure gaps: Long-distance terrestrial fibre routes ideally require repeater sites every 60 to 80 kilometres. These sites need reliable power and physical security, both of which are in short supply in large parts of Central Africa.</li><li data-block-key="565da">Inaccessible terrain: Central Africa, with its swamplands, rainforests, desert environments and political instability, is hostile to traditional fibre builds, which require trenching, civil works, and constant maintenance access.</li></ol>Submarine cable systems are designed to operate underwater, endure high pressure, and function without external power. They are powered from the ends using high-voltage DC via power feeding equipment (PFEs). The idea we proposed is to utilise submarine systems inland, in regions where building and powering traditional repeater sites is not feasible.It may sound unconventional, but the advantages are clear. First, you eliminate the need for utility power along the route, since the system is powered from both ends. Second, these cables are already engineered to withstand harsh environments, including wetlands, extreme temperatures, and other challenging conditions. Lastly, they offer performance benefits.When building traditional terrestrial networks, the fibre span lengths between repeater sites are often uneven, ranging from 45km to 130km or more, depending on geography and infrastructure availability. This irregular repeater spacing affects performance, particularly the optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR). Submarine systems, by contrast, use evenly spaced repeaters, which leads to a better OSNR and a more stable network.Connecting the dots – and the peopleOne of the most exciting aspects of this model is the potential to create "add-drop" points along the route. This means that landlocked countries such as Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, and Malawi, among others, could tap into the cable, providing them with access to submarine systems on either coast.Of course, these drop points would still need localised infrastructure and utility power. However, even a few strategic access nodes could significantly enhance digital inclusion for millions of Africans.As with any ambitious infrastructure project, there are challenges to overcome. The first is regulatory and political. Laying cable across multiple countries requires securing permits, engaging with governments, and, in some cases, navigating civil unrest or post-conflict instability. It might require high-level engagement from shareholders or even foreign affairs ministries to get buy-in.Then there's the issue of vandalism. Submarine systems send electricity through copper tubing inside the cable. Copper, as we know, is a high-value commodity. To deter theft, one approach is to use aluminium instead of copper. It carries current just as well for this purpose, but has little to no resale value. An education drive to inform communities about the nature of the cable – and the fact that it's not worth stealing – would also be critical.While most of our examples focused on swamplands and rainforests, the same principle applies in desert environments as well. But there, the challenge changes. Deserts like the Sahara are not static. Sand dunes shift constantly. So, how do you track or recover a buried cable?One idea is to install satellite tracking devices at intervals to help locate the cable over time. Another is to anchor the cable to concrete blocks, buried deep enough to stabilise it despite dune movement. Alternatively, you could let it "float" with the sand, though this would require additional testing and monitoring.A bold vision within reachSo, is this actually doable? Yes. With regulatory backing and funding, a project like this could be built within two years. However, some fibre manufacturing facilities for high-capacity systems are booked out until 2032; leaner 16-pair options are more readily available and commercially viable. Selling just a few fibre pairs could recoup a significant portion of the investment from day one.This concept aligns perfectly with Seacom's Seabeyond strategy: building future-ready infrastructure tailored to Africa's realities, rather than replicating legacy models. People are already seeing the value. Now it's about moving from idea to implementation. With the right partners, we can leap forward, not just around geography, but around history. Because Africa's digital future won't just be built on land, it will be inspired by the sea.About SeacomSeacom is Africa’s pioneering provider of dedicated connectivity, Cloud, and security services, supporting business growth and digital transformation across the continent. With a network that spans from South Africa to Europe and Asia, Seacom empowers African businesses to connect seamlessly and securely to global markets. Seacom was the first high-speed fibre operator to connect Africa to the world, starting with the connection of Africa to Asia and Europe by laying the first broadband submarine cable system along Africa's eastern and southern coastlines. Today, our focus is beyond connectivity with a suite of Business Solutions and Services. Initially envisioned by a group of African investors in 2007, Seacom is a privately owned and operated pan-African ICT enabler. Seacom offers an international network of best-in-class quality services. Seacom is a privately owned, operated, and diversified ICT provider of scale with a presence in eight countries. Seacom is industry agnostic, offering a wide range of voice, managed networks, security, cloud, and server hosting solutions and services to businesses, network carriers, service providers and enterprises.Seacom media teamStone media@stone.consulting +27 11 447 0168</div>

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JOHANNESBURG, 03 OCTOBER 2025 – Seacom, Africa's pioneering digital infrastructure and digital services provider, and SENTECH, a leader in broadcast and digital services, have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Seacom and SENTECH partner to "turbocharge" tech SMMEs in South Africa

<div class="block-richtext">JOHANNESBURG, 03 OCTOBER 2025 – Seacom, Africa's pioneering digital infrastructure and digital services provider, and SENTECH, a leader in broadcast and digital services, have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to accelerate the growth of small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in South Africa's telecommunications sector.The agreement, signed at Seacom's Johannesburg offices on 29 September 2025, outlines a 12-month collaboration aimed at advancing the contributions of SMMEs to South Africa's digital economy through targeted support. The partnership also recognises the vital role of SMMEs in driving economic growth, creating jobs, and shaping South Africa's digital future.Building digital inclusion through partnershipSeacom and SENTECH will join forces to strengthen the SMME ecosystem by providing mentorship, training, funding, and access to shared innovation platforms, thereby building digital inclusion.Key focus areas include:<ul><li data-block-key="bkfjd">SMME empowerment and inclusion – SMMEs will benefit from targeted enterprise development programmes, improved access to essential infrastructure, personalised mentorship, and public events that showcase and promote their innovative solutions.</li><li data-block-key="cf83t">Infrastructure expansion – By merging Seacom's extensive fibre infrastructure with SENTECH's broader service reach, SMMEs will have greater business opportunities in rural and underserved regions, creating more chances for market entry and growth.</li><li data-block-key="8n08d">Skills development – SMMEs will gain hands-on training in advanced technologies such as fibre, cloud, and broadcasting, participate in practical internship exchanges, and access educational resources aimed at increasing digital literacy, particularly in townships.</li><li data-block-key="b6vd1">Content and Cloud services – SMMEs and local content creators will have access to affordable hosting solutions, enhanced hybrid content delivery options, and targeted support in digital migration, making it easier for them to offer new digital services.</li><li data-block-key="6hcu0">Public sector collaboration – SMMEs can participate in larger joint ICT projects, benefit from coordinated policy advocacy, and gain insights from research, enabling them to better understand and leverage new technologies such as 5G, IoT, and AI.</li></ul><img alt="flenk-mnisi-and-anton-jooste-handshake" class="richtext-image full-width" height="1094" src="https://seacom-cms.aws.seacom.io/media/images/flenk-mnisi-and-anton-jooste-handshake.original.png" width="1194">SMMEs are the unsung heroes of the South African economySMMEs form approximately 91% of formal businesses, contribute 34% to GDP, and employ 60% of the workforce in South Africa. Despite this, they continue to face barriers, including high infrastructure costs, skills gaps, and regulatory hurdles.Seacom MD for Digital Services (South Africa), Anton Jooste, comments on the agreement by saying: "We are building a foundation for an inclusive and digital nation. By combining our strengths, this partnership directly addresses SMME challenges and enables broader participation in South Africa's digital economy, positioning SMMEs at the heart of national growth.""This strategic partnership aligns with Seacom's mission to transform the digital economy through inclusive participation and underscores the critical role of SMMEs in driving growth and job creation in South Africa," Jooste adds.Seacom's legacy of digital leadershipSince launching Africa's first submarine cable on the east coast in 2009, Seacom has transformed digital connectivity across the continent. By lowering the cost of international bandwidth, Seacom enabled the introduction of the first uncapped broadband products in South Africa, sparking the growth of cloud services, fintech platforms, and digital innovation ecosystems.Today, Seacom continues to drive Africa's digital transformation with high-capacity connectivity, linking the continent to Europe and Asia. The company serves enterprises, ISPs, mobile operators, and governments, reinforcing its role as a catalyst for economic growth and digital inclusion.About SeacomSeacom is Africa’s pioneering provider of dedicated connectivity, Cloud, and security services, supporting business growth and digital transformation across the continent. With a network that spans from South Africa to Europe and Asia, Seacom empowers African businesses to connect seamlessly and securely to global markets. Seacom was the first high-speed fibre operator to connect Africa to the world, starting with the connection of Africa to Asia and Europe by laying the first broadband submarine cable system along Africa's eastern and southern coastlines. Today, our focus is beyond connectivity with a suite of Business Solutions and Services. Initially envisioned by a group of African investors in 2007, Seacom is a privately owned and operated pan-African ICT enabler. Seacom offers an international network of best-in-class quality services. Seacom is a privately owned, operated, and diversified ICT provider of scale with a presence in eight countries. Seacom is industry agnostic, offering a wide range of voice, managed networks, security, cloud, and server hosting solutions and services to businesses, network carriers, service providers and enterprises.Seacom media teamStone media@stone.consulting +27 11 447 0168</div>

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Seacom has revealed more details about its planned Seacom 2.0 cable, including its construction timetable and technology.

More details emerge on massive new Seacom cable

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