ALPHABET’S Google is building out the first undersea fibre optic cable that will directly connect Africa with Australia, helping to shore up internet access in one of the least-connected parts of the world.
The cable, called Umoja, follows the construction of Google’s Equiano cable that connects Africa with Europe.
The new line will start in Kenya and travel over land through Uganda, Rwanda, Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa before crossing the ocean to Australia, the company said in a blog post on Thursday.
The new infrastructure will improve coverage on the continent, which has suffered this year from damaged cables. There are relatively few subsea connections to Africa and limited terrestrial infrastructure, making it more difficult to reroute traffic. – Bloomberg