Africa-Press – Mauritius. A subsea cable owned by Google that promises to double the internet speed for millions in Africa arrived in Togo, West Africa, on Friday. Subsea also known as submarine cables, are fiber optic cables that connect countries across the world.
Fiber optic cables are ideal for signal transmission for HD Televisions and good internet because they have more bandwidth and have faster speeds. Fiber optic cables are also cheaper than copper wires.
The cable has approximately 20 times more network capacity than the last cable built to serve the region. Laid on the ocean floor, the cable is capable of transmitting huge amounts of data rapidly from one point to another despite going thousands of miles in length.
“The Equiano cable, the first of its kind to reach Africa, has wound its way from Portugal and will double internet speed for Togo’s 8 million residents,” Google said in a statement.
This type of cable was first introduced by the company back in 2019 and has already made rounds in Europe. Equiano will further enhance the world’s highest capacity and best-connected international network.
What does it means to Africans Over the next five years, google says 300 million people will come online in Africa and the cable promises to improve connectivity and bring the benefits of technology to more Africans.
The new line is expected to make land in South Africa, Namibia and Nigeria; then branch again to neighbouring countries by the end of 2022. More connectivity and faster internet will also create jobs and the economic assessment predicts that Equiano should indirectly create 37k new jobs in Togo due to the growth of its digital economy.
The cable is expected to reduce internet prices by 14 percent by 2025, according to an Africa Practice and Genesis Analytics assessment commissioned by Google.
Fast and affordable internet connectivity means more access to information and access to communication networks. This will give a boost in a country’s education, health, career opportunities as well as a faster growth of it’s economy.
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