Internet | What is Seacom all about? (shortened version)

By Lyndi Lawson

If you are interested in this topic, take a look at our University of Cape Town Internet Super-User course.

Widely hailed as the redeemer of African internet connectivity, this Seacom thing has been something of an anticlimax. So far though, broadband internet is still expensive and even from the comfort of my office, data transmission is far from instant. Frankly (like many other South African and African consumers) I’m tired of waiting.

With few alternatives to this interminable wait, I’ve done some investigation into the great confusing abyss of information around Seacom with a view to finding out the status quo, the challenges resulting in the hold up and how the whole bang shoot is going to impact on African business and on the little squibs like myself with a penchant for streaming video.

The Birth of Africa’s Undersea Network
Seacom is the new undersea cable that will theoretically increase the broadband internet capacity of East Africa initially and later the inland countries. Before Seacom, there were two major ways that South Africans could connect to the Internet:

1. via the Telkom dominated SAT3/SAFE line (which was expensive as happens where there exists an industry monopoly)
2. or via satellite (which was not only expensive but also slow).

Seacom offers another alternative, introducing much needed competition to the telecommunications industry. With the ability to carry about 1.28 terabits of data traffic per second, it also has speed on its side.

About the Seacom cable:
• 17 000km long cable
• 77% African-owned
• will allow for high-speed broadband access in East Africa initially and later in the landlocked African countries in desperate need of connectivity
 
After hold-ups as a result of those deviant Somali pirates, the line successfully landed at the Neotel-owned station in Mtunzini, north of Durban on the 24th of July. Who’s Neotel? They’re essentially Telkom’s competition – the company turning the South African telecommunications industry into an oligopoly.

Anyway, Seacom is also one of the many undersea lines that will run into Africa. Arthur Goldstuck – who heads up the World Wide Worx research organisation – argues that in combination, these cables will have a data carrying capacity of over 10 530 gigs per second by 2013, rendering “the connectivity landscape completely unrecognizable for both South Africa and the rest of the continent.” That’s just over 3 years away. Despite this, we are not yet seeing results. Why?

The beginning stages
Seacom is not without its growing pains and in the months to come there will be several challenges that will require solutions. First off, there’s a question of back up, or the lack thereof. Let’s say a hungry shark takes a fancy to the cable and takes a nibble out of it. Yes, admittedly unlikely seeing as it is an undersea cable, not an in-sea cable, but nonetheless… The point is that technology fails all the time for one reason or another and I don’t see any immediate reason why this should be any different. The problem with this is in the event that technology fails Neotel, businesses in South Africa relying on the cable will suffer severe internetlessness until the cable can be repaired. Heaven help us if it happens off the coast of Somalia. This fact alone might make businesses hesitant to climb into bed with Neotel, at least until the additional cables destined for South Africa arrive.

Essentially, what will internet users gain?
What will this mean for Africans and more importantly, what will it mean for consumers and ultimately for the businesses that target them? The likelihood is they will follow the trends in Internet behaviour, the foundations of which have been laid by high broadband countries like the United States.
 
Consumers will have access to the Web as they have never experienced it before. Like in the rest of the world they will not only have access to infinite amounts of information, but they will come to depend on it. Users who are used to email and limited browsing will suddenly have access to unimaginable quantities of content and the ability to participate in online gaming, social networks, and streaming video and audio. Ultimately, Africans will be able for the first time, to truly connect with the rest of the world. Mobile Web access, already a major player in Africa, is likely to grow exponentially.

I guess that we will have to see...

This is an extract of the full article written by Lyndi Lawson. Click here to read the full article.

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This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution license.