Tanzania Telecommunications Company Opens Link

A report published by the East African Business Week (EABW) earlier this month indicated that the Tanzania Telecommunications Company Limited (TTCL) has officially announced its full connection to the recently completed International Submarine Optic Fiber Cable System.

According to the EABW report, the Chief Executive Officer for the TTCL, Said A. Said, said that this connection would make it possible for the company’s customers to access the fastest communication services that are available in the country.

He said all TTCL internet traffic was switched to go through the submarine cable effective July 28, five days after the cable was officially launched.

Mr. Said went on to explain that TTCL customers should expect to experience high speed content download and browsing, enhanced availability of service and improved quality of services, all as a direct result of this development.

SEACOM officially announced the completion and commission of its 1.28 terabytes per second (Tb/s), 17,000 kilometer, submarine fiber optic cable system that is responsible for linking South and East Africa to global networks through Indian and European channels on July 23 of this year.

The official launch of SEACOM was quickly followed by unprecedented opportunities including the availability of the network to act as a platform for the government, business leaders and citizens to enter into global competition, drive economic growth and enhance the quality of life across the continent at a portion of the current price.

At the same time as the launch of SEACOM, on July 23 Tanzania’s President Jakaya Kikwete also launched the Optic Fiber Link Up, announced that the country had entered into a new era of telecommunications and promised his citizens high-tech internet connectivity.

In addition to this linking system, the establishment of backhauls that link Johannesburg, Nairobi and Kampala with the coastal landing stations are also currently in operation while, at the same time, SEACOM is also looking to commission the final links to Kigali and Addis Ababa with its national partners in the near future.

Structurally, the country is linked to a marine background fiber from Dar es Salaam, from which point it will soon go on to extend the network to the rest of the country and as well as to the neighboring countries of Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda.

According to President Kikwete, this next step is also nearing completion as indicated by the fact that the basic infrastructure, which is operated by the Tanzanian Electric Supply Company (TANESCO), is already present in Dodoma.

In addition to the TTCL, other local companies that are also currently already linked to the system include the Songo Songo Gas Company and the Tanzanian Railways Limited.