Safaricom seeks approval to build undersea cable
Safaricom, Kenya's leading telco, is seeking regulatory approval from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) to build its own undersea cable, according to a local daily, Business Daily.
The CA, Kenya's independent ICT regulatory agency, confirmed Safaricom has sought for undersea cable landing rights.
These rights would allow the telco to operate and maintain multiple submarine cables that land in Kenya.
If allowed, this strategic move might greatly increase Safaricom's ability to provide high-speed internet, improve connectivity, and minimise its dependency on third-party cable providers.
The telco, which is headed by CEO Peter Ndengwa, will also be the first in the country to invest in its own undersea cable.
Safaricom currently relies on SEACOM, East African Submarine System (Eassy), TEAMS, and Telkom Kenya for their international bandwidth requirements.
In Kenya, subsea cable landing rights are generally managed by the CA.
According to reports, Safaricom has since formed a consortium to build the multibillion-dollar underwater internet line.
Safaricom was forced to purchase additional internet capacity from other undersea cable providers last year due to massive undersea cable cuts that disrupted some of its services.
The deep-sea fibre cut occurred at the Mtunzini teleport station, disrupting numerous underwater cables that serve Kenya, notably SEACOM and the Eassy.
Safaricom application is also seen as a response to increased competition from other internet providers, particularly possible satellite internet services such as Starlink.
This is despite the fact that the telco already leads the market with over 550,000 fixed broadband connections.
Starlink began operations in Kenya in July 2023, and it has continued to challenge the dominance of established mobile operators like as Safaricom.
Since its introduction into Kenya, the number of satellite internet subscriptions has increased significantly.
If successful, Safaricom's effort into owning and managing its own undersea cable might be a watershed moment for the company, further cementing Kenya's status as a regional hub for internet connectivity.