Liquid Dataport, a subsidiary of Cassava Technologies, announced today that it has landed on the Google Equiano cable in Cape Town.
This, after the company acquired a pair of fibre cables on Equiano, the new West Coast submarine cable, capable of delivering up to 12 Terabytes of new internet capacity.
It believes the cable will provide the South African economy with the boost it needs to ensure the successful digital transformation of businesses and individuals.
In August, Google officially unveiled its Equiano submarine internet cable in Cape Town – a massive initiative in which the tech giant has invested a total of $1 billion (R17 billion).
Announced in 2019, Africa’s highest-capacity subsea internet cable, which landed at Melkbosstrand north of Cape Town on 8 August, starts in Western Europe and runs along the West Coast of Africa, between Portugal and SA.
Branching units along the way can be used to extend connectivity to additional African countries.
Telkom unit Openserve, which is a landing partner for Equiano, also recently said it is looking to increase its capacity to up to 16Tbps with the landing of Google’s undersea cable.
In a statement, Liquid Dataport says the additional capacity augments its existing Pan-African fibre network, global satellite connectivity and subsea cable backbone that ensures businesses on the continent have access to affordable and reliable high-speed connectivity – a vital element as they leverage the digital economy.
It notes the Equiano submarine cable is the highest capacity cable landing in South Africa. “Liquid Dataport foresees a much-needed drop in internet connectivity prices and improved quality in South Africa and numerous Sub-Saharan countries,” says the firm.
“As Liquid’s existing and potential customers deploy digital operations to enhance customer services, the proliferation of connectivity becomes increasingly paramount to success.”
According to David Eurin, CEO of Liquid Dataport: “Lack of access to affordable internet connectivity across the continent, be it in the largest cities or the remotest villages, is a significant hurdle for Africans and organisations adopting digital technologies.
“Therefore, the landing of Equiano capacity by Liquid Dataport in South Africa will significantly foster the development of businesses in Southern African countries through improved access to high-speed connectivity and increased access to digital technologies like cloud and cyber security, to name a few.”
The Equiano subsea cable has landings planned in Sesimbra (Portugal), Lomé (Togo), Lagos (Nigeria), Swakopmund (Namibia), Rupert’s Bay (Saint Helena) and Melkbosstrand (South Africa), with more landing stations planned in the future.
The move extends Liquid’s One Africa Digital Network’s reach, and Cassava’s Africa Data Centres will host Liquid Dataport’s equipment for the Equiano subsea cables, says the company.
It adds the Equiano cable system will be available in all Africa Data Centres’ facilities and give Liquid Dataport’s customers access to vast amounts of capacity at a reduced price.
Liquid Dataport plans to interconnect the Equiano landing stations to its East-West network across Africa, strengthening further its global IP route between Asia, Africa and the US.
“This new submarine cable landing is yet another addition to our steadily growing Pan-African network, which includes satellite connectivity, subsea links and our cross-continent terrestrial fibre network – the largest independent network of its kind in Africa,” says Eurin.
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