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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| East Africa gets high-speed web | East Africa gets high-speed web |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The first undersea cable to bring high-speed internet access to East Africa has gone live. | |
| The fibre-optic cable, operated by African-owned firm Seacom, connects South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Mozambique to Europe and Asia. | |
| The firm says the cable will help to boost the prospects of the region's industry and commerce. | The firm says the cable will help to boost the prospects of the region's industry and commerce. |
| The cable - which is 17,000km long - took two years to lay and cost more than $650m. | The cable - which is 17,000km long - took two years to lay and cost more than $650m. |
| Seacom said in a statement the launch of the cable marked the "dawn of a new era for communications" between Africa and the rest of the world. | Seacom said in a statement the launch of the cable marked the "dawn of a new era for communications" between Africa and the rest of the world. |
| The services were unveiled in ceremonies in the Kenyan port of Mombasa and the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam. | |
| School benefits | School benefits |
| The cable was due to be launched in June but was delayed by pirate activity off the coast of Somalia. | The cable was due to be launched in June but was delayed by pirate activity off the coast of Somalia. |
| The BBC's Will Ross in Nairobi says the internet revolution trumpeted by Seacom largely depends on how well the service is rolled out across the region. | The BBC's Will Ross in Nairobi says the internet revolution trumpeted by Seacom largely depends on how well the service is rolled out across the region. |
| To the disappointment of many consumers, our correspondent says some ISPs (internet service providers) are not planning to lower the cost of the internet, but instead will offer increased bandwidth. | To the disappointment of many consumers, our correspondent says some ISPs (internet service providers) are not planning to lower the cost of the internet, but instead will offer increased bandwidth. |
| But businesses, which have been paying around $3,000 a month for 1MB through a satellite link, will now pay considerably less - about $600 a month. | But businesses, which have been paying around $3,000 a month for 1MB through a satellite link, will now pay considerably less - about $600 a month. |
| The Kenyan government has been laying a network of cables to all of the country's major towns and says the fibre-optic links will also enable schools nationwide to link into high quality educational resources. | The Kenyan government has been laying a network of cables to all of the country's major towns and says the fibre-optic links will also enable schools nationwide to link into high quality educational resources. |
| But our correspondent says it is not clear whether the internet revolution will reach the villages, many of which still struggle to access reliable electricity. | But our correspondent says it is not clear whether the internet revolution will reach the villages, many of which still struggle to access reliable electricity. |