Seacom’s $2 billion Africa-Asia subsea cable to land in Mombasa by 2030
Mauritius-based Seacom is building a cable that links Africa directly to Asia, with Mombasa as a key landing point. Its technology chief says AI will need tens or hundreds of gigabits of capacity, more than older cables can carry.
A new $2 billion (KSh 258 billion) subsea cable will link Africa directly to Asia across the Indian Ocean, The Star reported. Mauritius-headquartered Seacom is developing the cable. Mombasa will be a key landing point for East Africa's internet traffic. The extra capacity is expected to reach Kenya from 2030. Seacom Chief Technology Officer Prenesh Padayachee told BBC Africa Enterprise that the Indian Ocean has few subsea cables compared with the busy routes between Europe and North America. He said artificial intelligence will need far more speed and capacity than today's cables were built for. He spoke of "10s or hundreds of gigabits of capacity" and said that such technology will not run on older cables. Seacom is therefore building a newer cable with newer technology. Seacom launched Africa's first privately owned subsea fibre-optic cable in 2009. Tech companies such as Google and Meta are also laying their own cables to secure capacity and cut costs. Padayachee said direct investment in infrastructure helps drive down the cost of connectivity. In Kenya, the project coincides with the rollout of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025-2030. The plan aims…
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