Google to connect Africa, Australia with new subsea cable

BREAKING NEWSMay 24, 2024 at 12:03 PM UTC

TLDR

Google introduces Umoja, a groundbreaking fiber optic cable project connecting Africa and Australia.
Umoja's terrestrial path spans Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
Collaboration with Liquid Technologies aims to benefit countries along the route, including connecting to Google Cloud before reaching Australia.

Google has announced Umoja, the first-ever fiber optic cable project to directly connect Africa and Australia. Starting in Kenya, Umoja will traverse several countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, ending in South Africa.

This terrestrial path, completed in collaboration with Liquid Technologies, is designed to extend benefits to other countries along the route. The cable will pass through the Google Cloud region before crossing the Indian Ocean to Australia.

Umoja has joined Google's Africa Connect initiative, which also includes Equiano, a private subsea cable launched in 2019 to link Africa and Europe.

Key Takeaways

Google's goal in developing the Umoja fiber optic cable is to enhance network resilience in a region that has experienced significant outages. This new route aims to provide a stable alternative to existing connectivity paths. In March 2024, several African countries suffered Internet outages due to undersea cable damage. Further disruptions occurred in May when the Eassy and Seacom submarine cables, which connect South Africa and Kenya, failed, affecting Internet services in multiple East African countries, including Kenya and Tanzania. By introducing Umoja, Google seeks to mitigate the impact of such outages and ensure reliable connectivity across the continent.

Google

Fiber Optic

Subsea Cable

Umoja

Equiano

Telecommunications

Digital Infrastructure

Connectivity

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