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Internet flurry as Kenya goes live on Seacom cable

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Stephen Tricarico (right) the technical engineer network testing services from TYCO Telecommunications, USA shows Seacom Fibre Optic technical staff engineer Ismail Abdulshakur where to click to officially commission the Seacom fibre optic under sea cable at the Swahili Cultural Centre where they have put up the landing station. Photo/GIDEON MAUNDU

Stephen Tricarico (right) the technical engineer network testing services from TYCO Telecommunications, USA shows Seacom Fibre Optic technical staff engineer Ismail Abdulshakur where to click to officially commission the Seacom fibre optic under sea cable at the Swahili Cultural Centre where they have put up the landing station. Photo/GIDEON MAUNDU 

By OLIVER MATHENGE AND JOHN NGIRACHU
Posted  Friday, July 24  2009 at  18:41

In Summary

  • However, providers warn Kenyans will enjoy wonders of the link from September

The connection of Kenya and eastern Africa to the rest of the world via the 17,000-km Seacom fibre optic cable on Friday was marked by excitement.

The promise of faster internet was greeted with sensational updates on popular social networks like Twitter and Facebook by those who had their first taste of real broadband.

“CNN Live TV loaded in 19 seconds flat... try satellite... how long does it take?” “Testing the Seacom fibre optic cable in Mombasa, and this is on steroids! Last time I had internet this fast, I was in Germany!”, “Guys... the Internet revolution we have all been waiting for is about to go live...”.

These were some of the comments in blogosphere by those who had sampled the good things to come as the undersea cable was commissioned in Kenya, South Africa, India, Tanzania and Mozambique simultaneously. However, Uunet Managing Director Tom Omariba said Kenyans will get their first taste of the wonders of the fibre optic cable from September.

He said Internet Service Providers require some time to test the cable before they can roll out the vastly improved access to their customers.

Recoup investments

While the speeds will definitely amaze, the cost will take time to drop in the drastic manner it has been predicted.

“The fibre optic cable is expensive to lay so service providers will initially serve areas they think have potential,” he said.

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On Thursday, Haskell Ward, Seacom’s senior vice president in charge of government relations, speaking in Mombasa, warned the public that they have to wait a little longer for cheaper internet as industry players will first want to recoup their investments.

Seacom announced that it would offer wholesale prices in the range of Sh7,700 ($100) per megabyte, with subsidised costs of between Sh770 and Sh1,925 to schools, research and health institutions.

Bandwidth currently costs $5,000, about Sh42,350, per megabyte.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of the link to the rest of the world lies in the increased ability to download audio and video files from the internet, something that is bound to get Kenya’s young generation excited.

This is also likely to expose Kenyans to criminals who use the Internet to hack into computers, spread computer viruses and access credit cards remotely. The increased ability to access harmful sites will also be a concern for parents.

Mr Cheruiyot Serem, a software developer, said the slow connection has been the main reason hackers have been unable to penetrate Kenya and the region but with the fibre optic cable, some firms might find themselves heavily exposed.

Wireless bandwidth

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Add a comment (10 comments so far)

  1. Submitted by Mutharime

    If I may ask, Why is safaricom's internet still slow?

    Posted  July 26, 2009 08:40 PM  
  2. Submitted by njengah

    This is long overdue. I am told by reliable sources that this took long because some politicians wanted to make a killing in these deals. We should have full disclosure on who owns these companies involved in the Seacom deal and you will be surprised that you have probably seen them in a deal involving Safaricom. I am just a messenger. We are all being screwed into paying a whole lot for connectivity and the Daily Nation is here cheering instead of asking questions!

    Posted  July 26, 2009 12:24 PM  
  3. Submitted by We_need_a_revolution

    USD100 for I Mbps????? Are they for real??? That's too expensive.. Plus that's what Seacom will sell to ISPs... How much will the ISPs sell to the end-users???? It will be years before internet in Kenya is cheap and accessible to all...

    Posted  July 26, 2009 10:08 AM  
  4. Submitted by myviewstoday

    Amazing speeds for the Internet is certainly good. However, It will not make sense to many Kenyan clients if the cost is not adjusted in their favour.It is frustrating to be forewarned about recoupping of investments and also, ISPs requiring time to test the cable before rolling access to their customers. It would be prudent to provide clear guidelines, at what point in time, do Kenyans expect to enjoy reduced cost? or, (may be)a miracle will just happen one day?

    Posted  July 26, 2009 08:19 AM  
  5. Submitted by miwanyu

    Its not whether or not its the last country to get the undersea cable its what or how its going to use it. For example how has N Africa benefited apart from having faster internet at home and offices for their own consumption. See in Kenya we already had the need created and all we were to do was to get the communication cable so that they can benefit. Create the need before solving the need.

    Posted  July 26, 2009 08:14 AM  

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