Business
Fiber-optics and Africa’s increasing internet access
The second wave of Africa’s digital revolution came in the latter half of the last decade, with the connection of the continent to the rest of the world via undersea fiber-optic cables. These cables have dramatically increased the transmission capacity of data and drastically reduced transmission time and costs. Prior to fiber-optic installation, internet service providers relied on satellite connections, paying up to $2,300 per month for basic satellite connections.
Using fiber-optic cables, they can now get the same connection for less than $100. It is on this wave that tech hubs such as Kenya’s iHub, Tanzania’s Kinu, Nigeria’s CcHUb and South Africa’s JoziHub in Johannesburg came into existence. There are now 16 undersea cables connecting Africa to the Americas, Europe and Asia.
All but two countries, Eritrea and Western Sahara, with a coastline have a cable landing on their shores, tripling the internet capacity in Africa over the past three years. A single cable can have multiple docks. For example the Seacom cable serves Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa.
Growth
The number of internet users on the continent grew at seven times the global average, clocking more than 3,600% growth between 2000 and 2012, to 167 million users, according to data from Internet World Statistics, a website that tracks internet and social media usage.
In Kenya, which has been Africa’s leader in internet usage growth, the Communication Commission of Kenya reports that internet users grew from 200,000 in 2000 to over 19.6 million at the end of last year, a staggering 9,700 percent growth. However, as impressive as the numbers look, it has not been all smooth-sailing. Take the case of South Africa, for example. Over the next few years, South Africa expects an additional four fibre-optic cables to link it to the rest of the world, increasing its capacity significantly.
However, players in the market are not convinced the new cables will make a difference due mainly to connectivity problems. “Whilst some of these new cables will no doubt change the supply situation which will reduce the cost of international capacity, I don’t think they’ll have a big impact for the vast majority of users in southern Africa; most costs are domestic rather than international,” Mark Simpson, chief executive officer of Seacom, a submarine fiber-optic company, told Africa in Fact, a publication of Good Governance Africa, an advocacy group.
The problem in South Africa lies not in capacity but in connectivity. Once docked at the coast, the connections need to make it to homes and businesses. While a national fiber-optic grid is currently under construction, the lines have not reached the “last mile”, that is the actual physical connection to homes or businesses.
