Seacom boost internet redundancy with Sh15b partnership

Regional internet users are set to benefit from a new undersea cable system through a partnership between Seacom and IOX Cable Ltd.

IOX, a subsidiary of Indoi Ltd, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Pan African internet enabler to build the system, called IOX Cable System, which will connect Africa and Mauritius.

The Sh15 billion (US$150 million) project will be the third independent undersea cable connecting Mauritius to Africa and the rest of the world, reinforcing Mauritius’s status as an emerging innovation and technology hub in sub-Saharan Africa.

It is expected to be ready for commercial service by the first quarter of 2019.

The IOX cable system will be the first open access cable system in Mauritius, open to all licensed operators.

The design of the IOX undersea cable system will allow it to connect to future undersea cables on the east coast of Africa.

The cable will enable African and Indian business communities to connect seamlessly across a fast and reliable digital infrastructure, ranging from undersea cable to data centres and cloud platforms.

It will also enhance the broadband infrastructure in Mauritius, in turn supporting and driving new digital economic models.