INTELLIGENT CABLING
Subsea cable connectivity : The key to accelerating Digital Transformation
A number of subsea cables are currently under construction in Africa . CEO , Corridor Africa , Matone Ditlhake , explores the benefits of subsea cables and how they can be used to embrace Digital Transformation .
S ubsea cable connectivity is the key to accelerating Digital Transformation in Africa . Google recently launched its U $ 1 billion Equiano cable , a connection between Western Europe and South Africa . This announcement also coincides with Meta-backed 2Africa , the world ’ s longest subsea cable which is expected to come online in 2024 .
The Equiano 144Tbps , 12 fibre pair cable will ensure faster Internet speeds and reduced Internet prices when it is switched on before the end 2022 . It will be Africa ’ s highest capacity cable and stretches more than 15,000 kilometres from Portugal to South Africa .
Subsea cable connectivity will help governments throughout Africa achieve their Digital Transformation goals and objectives . In South Africa , it will contribute considerably to Government ’ s NDP2030 and SA Connect strategies .
Infrastructure development and digital and socio-economic transformation were the key topics at the 2022 GovTech conference , the annual meeting platform for representatives from government and industry to connect in serving citizens to better use information and communications technologies .
Khumbudzo Ntshavheni , the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies , promised that Government was committed
to delivering on broadband objectives as key enablers for the delivery of an economic step change for South Africa .
The Government is implementing a broadband connectivity drive through SA Connect and its goal is to ensure that all South Africans have access to the Internet . According to Google , the Equiano subsea cable will lead to the creation of 1.6 million jobs and it expects data prices to drop by at least 20 %.
Through SA Connect , the Government plans to connect over 400 sites in the Eastern Cape and the Northern Cape and then provide Internet access for everyone across the country in phase two . This programme aims to connect over 33,000 community Wi-Fi hotspots over three years .
Ntshavheni recently said a revised model for SA Connect would include a partnership with ISPs , access network service providers and mobile virtual network operators in the SME space . She referred to this collaboration as part of the Government ’ s commitment to the transformation of the telecoms industry .
Digital Transformation involves the ongoing application of the latest technology
Matone Ditlhake , CEO , Corridor Africa
to improve a government ’ s performance and help meet the expectations of its citizens . Digital Transformation offers many solutions to e-Government services as it addresses most of the challenges in e-Government .
It is clear that the Government has put policies in place to support Digital Transformation and with advances in infrastructure and digital technologies , it might successfully address its challenges to realise its global digital strategy successfully .
The South African Government is certainly lagging behind with Digital Transformation in realising its goal for e-Government . It needs to work in close cooperation with stakeholders to achieve e-Government through Digital Transformation . Citizens will be seeing more and more of this Digital Transformation over the next few years . •
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