Google’s Equiano Subsea Cable Arrives in Swakopmund, Namibia
On its way to Cape Town, South Africa, Google’s Equiano undersea internet cable, which aims to establish a maritime link between Europe and Africa, has made a new landing in Africa.
The Equiano cable, according to a statement released yesterday, has finally arrived at Swakopmund, Namibia. The Equiano undersea cable, according to Paratus Group, one of the two companies chosen to construct the cable landing station (CLS) in the nation with Telecom Namibia, would improve the connectivity of the nation by providing better internet speeds.
Since the building’s completion in September 2021, Paratus has already finished the aforementioned CLS. The internal fit of the CLS, comprising the power, cabling cabinets, conduits, raceways, cages, and security, was finished in January 2022.
The arrival of the cable, according to Paratus Group CEO Barney Harmse, “marks a key milestone in the development of Namibia and gets us one step closer to our mission of transforming Africa through great digital infrastructure and customer care.”
According to Harmse, the Equiano cable will offer four times the bandwidth capacity of the West Africa Cable System (WACS), on which Namibia presently depends for its international connectivity, when it is completely operational in Q4 2022.
According to a recent research by Africa Practice and Genesis Analytics, the cable will enhance internet speeds in the country of Southern Africa by 2.5 times and increase internet penetration by 7.5% in the following three years.
Further, according to Dr. Stanley Shanapinda, CEO of Telecom Namibia, the Equiano cable is anticipated to improve connectivity and hasten the creation of jobs in Namibia, with the creation of 21,000 indirect jobs between 2022 and 2025 as a result of the cable’s impact on the growth of the nation’s digital economy and related sectors.
“We’ve worked with experts – Paratus Group (and Telecom Namibia) in Namibia – to ensure that Equiano has the biggest possible impact in Namibia and throughout Africa,” said Nitin Gajria, MD of Google Sub-Saharan Africa.
Google is committed to assisting Africa’s digital revolution, he continued, adding that he was forward to observe the cable’s arrival in Namibia’s impact.
