Umamah Bakharia | ub@radioislam.co.za

3min read
7 October 2022 | 09:45 am CAT

Africa’s highest capacity sub-sea internet cable, Equiano, has reached its destination in the ports of South Africa.

According to a statement by Google, this project will have a significant economic impact on the country and will help to drive digital transformation across the continent.

Speaking to Radio Islam International, Google’s Siya Madikane says the project will help create jobs while improving internet speed.

“In South Africa, we anticipate that this will indirectly contribute to the creation of 180 000 jobs and increase EDP by up to $7 billion in the year 2025 – so we do anticipate that it will have quite a huge impact in terms of our lives and also includes that it will increase the speed of the internet by up to 20 times,” says Madikane.

Equino halting from Portugal has so far reached Nigeria, Namibia and Togo and finally reached South Africa in September.

Built by Google, the cable, in partnership with Openserve, Africa’s largest wholesale infrastructure provider, will be taken inland.

“We have the cable right up until Cape Town, Muberstrand, and then from there, our partner, Openserve, will then connect through the cable and bring it inland so then it will then be open to their customers whether it be corporate or a private customer,” he says.

Google says this project will see consumers pay less for data and increase internet speed.

Listen to the full interview here with a Google representative: