Liquid Dataport has announced the launch of its newest fibre route connecting Mombasa, Kenya, to Muanda on the west coast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). This significant achievement establishes the shortest route connecting East to West Africa, reducing data transmission latency by an impressive 20 milliseconds. With a length of 3,800km, this route marks a new era in East-West connectivity on the continent and adds to Liquid’s One Africa Digital Network, which now spans an astounding 110,000 km.
The fibre route traverses Kenya and DR Congo, passing through Uganda and Rwanda, thereby bringing reliable and affordable broadband connectivity to over 40 million people living and working in major cities along the route. It is a remarkable development that complements Liquid’s previous milestone in 2019 when they successfully linked Dar Es Salaam to Muanda on the West Coast of DR Congo via Zambia.
Hardy Pemhiwa, President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Liquid Intelligent Technologies, acknowledged the pressing need to bridge the access-usage gap in Africa. He emphasized the importance of enabling more Africans to utilize available internet technologies now and in the future. This newly established East-West route, combined with Liquid’s existing Pan Africa fibre network, plays a vital role in addressing this challenge. Not only does it facilitate global traffic to the continent, but it also enhances the cost economics of broadband internet access in Africa.
Liquid’s customers can now leverage capacities ranging from 1Mbps to an impressive 100,000Mbps through the new East-West route. This expanded connectivity allows for cloud supplier redundancy, granting access to multiple data centres and cable landing stations, ensuring maximum uptime. This development is particularly beneficial for businesses in East, Central, and Southern Africa as they embark on their digital transformation journeys.
For African enterprises to expand continentally and compete globally, they require stable and reliable connectivity with low latency, as well as access to various digital tools to optimize their operations. The new fibre route directly addresses these needs and supports wholesale, enterprise, and hyperscale customers along the path. Its economic and social benefits are manifold, including increased access to online educational resources, job creation, and the acceleration of technology adoption.
David Eurin, Chief Executive Officer of Liquid Dataport, expressed his enthusiasm for the impact of the Mombasa-Muanda route. He emphasized its value for global organizations seeking Internet resiliency by providing an alternative to the Red Sea and Europe routes, which often become bottlenecks for global internet traffic. Moreover, the route will deliver faster fibre connectivity to landlocked countries in Africa, making Kenya and DR Congo more attractive as growing connectivity hubs.
