State-owned telecommunications group Broadband Infraco believes there is much potential in the submarine fibre cables market across the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Infraco, which currently acts as the gateway for international connectivity for South Africa’s landlocked neighbouring countries, has seen the submarine fibre cables market explode in the last ten years.

“We believe that the rest of [the] SADC are tired of the incumbents that currently play in this space. “They love our pricing [and] the engaged and personal service; they also love the relationships we bring to them and we have seen a massive growth in [the region] to date,” says Infraco CEO Andrew Matseke.

South Africa is well positioned to leverage the situation, with great network infrastructure, sound financial support and meaningful partnerships key to unlocking further potential growth for the region.

Infraco currently provides extensive regional long-distance network coverage and SADC connectivity, boasting more than 15 000 km of fibre networks and 156 points of presence across South Africa.

“We are looking at really growing the SADC basket,” he says, highlighting Infraco’s investments and cost-effective solutions.

Infraco, which is an anchor tenant of the West Africa Cable System, connects landlocked countries, through the Terraco data centre, to any of the undersea cables.

“There are many cables that land in South Africa and the telcos from neighbouring countries, including the landlocked countries, are consortium members in one or the other of those cables.”

Last year, the group signed a memorandum of understanding with multinational telecommunications company Angola Cables that will facilitate Internet connectivity into Africa.

Through the Angola Cables subsea networks – the South Atlantic Cable System and Monet – Broadband Infraco will be able to share international traffic and content that could unlock new business opportunities for SADC countries.

“Our role, as South Africa, and our role as Broadband Infraco, is to help enhance competition in that market with the intention of reducing the cost of telecommunication,” he adds.

Infraco currently connects the borders of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho, besides others.

The firm is also currently expanding capacity on its Johannesburg–Botswana route through the North West, which will bring enhanced connectivity to the platinum belt.

Matseke notes that core investment in infrastructure in the neighbouring countries is critical to unlocking the SADC’s potential growth, with the SADC mulling a fibre superhighway, a joint project created through the SADC countries.

Infraco is likely to be assigned by government to assist in the development of this ‘highway’.

“The ultimate outcome of this initiative is . . . at least at infrastructure level, [to] ensure that the . . . optical fibre, which is what you need for backhauling high volumes of data, reaches South Africa, [as well as] large parts of our neighbouring countries,” he continues.

Further, there is a need for cooperation and partnerships around the sort of solutions that deliver the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Matseke notes the importance of fostering partnerships, as well as the possibility of South Africa and other SADC countries offering financial support.

“Infraco has an opportunity, being deeply rooted in the biggest economy within the region, to help ensure that these players that provide 4IR solutions become active in neighbouring countries and partner with organisations that operate within those countries,” he concludes.