Google's Equiano subsea cable arrives Togo, first stop in Africa - ITREALMS

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Google's Equiano subsea cable has arrived its first stop on the continent of Africa at Lome, Togo, reports ITREALMS.

The Managing Director, Google Africa, Nitin Gajria, made this disclosure at the weekend in a blog post available to ITREALMS.

He noted that the journey began in 2019, when they introduced the Equiano subsea cable, which will run from Portugal along the West Coast of Africa; connecting Europe to Togo, Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa, and St. Helena.

"We are announcing the Equiano subsea cable has arrived in Lomé, Togo — marking the cable’s first stop along Africa’s Atlantic coast," Gajria said.

According to the Managing Director, Google Africa, people around the world use Google products every day to stay in touch with friends and family, find directions, connect with new customers or bring products to new markets. 

"As 300 million people come online in Africa over the next five years, the Equiano cable is part of our ongoing commitment to Africa, expanding opportunity and improving connectivity in order to help bring the benefits of technology to more Africans," he said.

With Togo’s strong commitment to boosting the digital economy, he said that the arrival of Equiano is a key step in the country’s continued digital development. 

He quoted a recent economic impact assessment conducted by Africa Practice and Genesis Analytics, which showed that Equiano is expected to result in faster internet speeds, improved user experience, and lower internet prices in Togo. 

"Internet speeds in the country are expected to more than double from 10 Mbps in 2021 to 21 Mbps in 2025, while retail internet prices are forecast to decline by 14 per cent over the same period. 

"Also, according to the economic assessment, improved speeds and lower prices are expected to boost internet penetration: Between 2022 and 2025, Equiano should indirectly create 37,000 new jobs in Togo driven by the growth of the digital economy and peripheral sectors."

Not only will the cable improve the resilience of the Google network, but other partners will be able to use and benefit from the Equiano cable’s capacity. We are partnering with multiple key telecom players, including Société d’infrastructures numériques (SIN) and CSquared, where Equiano lands to ensure that the cable can reach more businesses and end users across Togo and the African continent more broadly.

From Curie to Dunant to Firmina, we are proud to name many subsea cable projects after historical luminaries. The Equiano cable is no different, honoring Olaudah Equiano, a Nigerian-born writer and abolitionist.

Expected to be ready for service later this year, Equiano will carry approximately 20 times more network capacity than the last cable built to serve this region. We’ve worked with established local partners and experts to ensure that Equiano will be able to improve reliability in global communications and free flows of data.

With the arrival of the Equiano cable in Lomé, we look forward to helping contribute to the achievement of Togo’s digital goals and accelerating digital transformation not only in the country, but across the continent.

Chuks Egbune/Editor

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