Seacom, Interoute Link Africa 686023

LONDON -- SEACOM, Africa's only submarine cable connecting Africa to Europe and Asia, and Interoute, owner operator of Europe's largest next-generation network, initiated a project that is set to bring a higher quality Internet experience to Africa. The multi-million Euro project involves the design, deployment and operation of nine land-based Internet access points that connect the SEACOM subsea cable to the broadband fibre networks of East and South Africa.

The SEACOM Internet access points are located in France, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania with expansion plans to install PoPs in Uganda and Rwanda. The SEACOM network is enabled with content caching nodes that will effectively bring the World Wide Web closer to the people and businesses in Africa. By storing web content at a point closer to where the internet is accessed, the user internet browsing experience is richer and faster.

The building of the network has already begun, with nodes in Dar Es Salaam, Johannesburg, Maputo, Mombasa, Mtunzini and Marseille already live. SEACOM will be offering managed IP services to customers from April.

Gareth Williams, CEO at Interoute, commented: "First, SEACOM brought high capacity, low cost Internet access to the African continent via the SEACOM subsea cable. Now this new project will increase the quality of user experience that is needed to realise the full potential of the Internet as a powerful business, communication and learning tool for the people of Africa. It's exciting to be putting the expertise and experience we developed building and managing Europe's largest next generation network to work building a key part of Africa's Internet."

Seacom Ltd.

Interoute Communications Ltd.