Telkom eyes more revenue with massive investment in fibre cable

Kenya’s third largest telco by market share Telkom has commenced the geographical mapping exercise for the proposed 30 terabyte fibre cable projected to run approximately 4,000 kilometers interconnecting the country to Djibouti and Somalia.

A consortium comprising of Telkom, Djibouti Telecoms and Somaliland telecommunications giant Somtel has embarked on preparations to lay the fibre cable dubbed (DARE 1) which according to Telkom will be Kenya’s largest fibre optic cable that is expected to be ready by 2019.

In a statement to newsrooms on Wednesday, Kebaso Mokogi, the Managing Director of Telkom’s Carrier Services Division said that the survey has been necessitated by the need to replace the current cable which he says is nearing the end of its shell life having been laid approximately 20 years ago.

“Telkom will provide the landing point in Mombasa with the opportunity to invest as a shareholder. The new cable has the biggest capacity yet, delivered on newer technology, which puts us ahead in the region,” said Mr. Mokogi.

Kenya is currently served by four cables; serving the larger East African region. The arrival of the DARE1 cable from Djibouti, which is currently served by other 7 cables, grants Kenya access to multiple gateways to Europe, the East and other parts of the world.

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In addition, the investment represents an exciting proposition for Telkom as it offers diversity in the routing of traffic and also provides for fibre continuity considering the risk at the high seas.

The cable survey is an exercise that involves under-sea navigation to where the cable will be buried, engineers doing the mapping consider water and wave patterns to ensure the least disruption to the cable when laid.

The process also looks into marine life, the movement of ships and other vessels, ensuring that there is no disruption.

Mr. Bruno Fedelli, the consortium representative on the board said the exercise is weather dependent since the sea has to be as calm as possible.

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“We however anticipate to take between 50-60 days after which we’ll review the reports to guide the cost and plan of laying the cable,” said Mr Fedelli in the statement.

The development of regional backbones such as the DARE 1 will increase access to data in the region, with eventual gains being realised on cost for the end consumers.

Coupled with growing demand for data for business and personal use, the availability of high-speed broadband is expected to deliver faster speeds that will eventually generate more revenue and services, attracting content providers and Content Development Networks looking to foray into the region, which the parties are engaging for consideration.