Seacom boosts African internet growth with 100Gbps ethernet tech

Johannesburg - Submarine cable operator Seacom has deployed 100 gigabit per second ethernet technology to bolster the growth of the internet in Africa.  

The company made the upgrade at its data centre core PoPs (Points of Presence) in Teraco Johannesburg and Teraco Cape Town, as one of the first deployments of the technology in sub-Saharan Africa.

By upgrading its core routers and switches at these Teraco PoPs to 100Gbps ethernet technology, Seacom has activated up to 400Gbps of routing and switching bandwidth at each facility. 

The upgrade enables Seacom to scale up the capacity it has acquired on the West Africa Cable System undersea cable to provide alternate traffic paths in the case of a Seacom subsea cable system outage.

• READ: Seacom begins fibre rollout in Johannesburg

Mark Tinka, head of engineering at the company, said that the investment will enable Seacom to grow its network and customer base.

“We will be able to provide a reliable and consistent experience to African businesses, service providers and consumers. Africa is becoming an important global player in the digital age, and we are committed to investing in the best technology to support the growth of internet access across the continent,” Tinka said. 

Last year, Seacom began a rollout of high-speed fibre internet access services to some business and home users on the East Rand.  

Seacom plans to extend the reach of its fibre network to more parts of South Africa, including areas currently underserviced by last-mile fibre operators and partnered with various resellers to address the home, retail and business markets.