Denise Pearl, Sustainability/Geo ISV Partnerships, Google Cloud and Abe Tarapani CEO, Atlas AI
Liquid Dataport, a business of Cassava Technologies, is bringing much-needed access to affordable internet in South Africa. Liquid Dataport has acquired a fibre pair on Equiano, the new West coast submarine cable, capable of delivering up to 12 Terabytes of new internet capacity, providing the South African economy with the boost it needs to ensure the successful digital transformation of businesses and individuals. See www.liquiddataport.com
The additional capacity augments Liquid Dataport’s existing pan-African fibre network, global satellite connectivity and subsea cable backbone that ensures businesses on the continent have access to affordable and reliable high-speed connectivity – a vital element as they leverage the digital economy. The Equiano sea cable is the highest capacity cable landing in South Africa. Liquid Dataport foresee a much-needed drop in internet connectivity prices and improved quality in South Africa and numerous sub-Saharan countries. As Liquid’s existing and potential customers deploy digital operations to enhance customer services, the proliferation of connectivity becomes increasingly paramount to success.
According to David Eurin, CEO of Liquid Dataport, “Lack of access to affordable internet connectivity across the continent, be it in the largest cities or the remotest villages, is a significant hurdle for Africans and organisations adopting digital technologies. Therefore, the landing of Equiano capacity by Liquid Dataport in South Africa will significantly foster the development of businesses in Southern African countries through improved access to high-speed connectivity and increased access to digital technologies like Cloud and Cybersecurity, to name a few”.
The Equiano subsea cable has landings planned in Sesimbra (Portugal), Lomé (Togo), Lagos (Nigeria), Swakopmund (Namibia), Rupert’s Bay (Saint Helena) and Melkbosstrand (South Africa), with more landing stations planned in the future. The move extends Liquid’s One Africa Digital Network’s reach, and Cassava’s Africa Data Centres will host Liquid Dataport’s equipment for the Equiano subsea cables. The Equiano cable system will be available in all Africa Data Centres’ facilities and give Liquid Dataport’s customers access to vast amounts of capacity at a reduced price. Liquid Dataport plans to interconnect the Equiano landing stations to its East-West network across Africa, strengthening further its global IP route between Asia, Africa, and the USA.
“This new submarine cable landing is yet another addition to our steadily growing pan-African network, which includes satellite connectivity, subsea links and our cross-continent terrestrial fibre network – the largest independent network of its kind in Africa. It adds to our ability to deliver Cyber Security, Data Centres, Cloud Services, Renewable Energy and Fintech services and more to our customers that range from enterprises, SMEs and governments directly and indirectly,” concludes Eurin.
