Sudhir Juggernath, CEO of TelCables Southern and East Africa.

Angola Cables, a global connectivity provider, is joining Africa's increasing connectivity race by expanding its services into Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to boost Internet access.

Sudhir Juggernath, CEO of TelCables Southern and East Africa, disclosed the plans during an interview with ITWeb Africa at the Africa Tech Festival 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa.

TelCables is a subsidiary of Angola Cables.

Angola Cables’ expansion plan comes as Africa's digital economy is expanding at a breakneck pace, making dependable and scalable digital infrastructure critical.

There are increasing calls for the private and public sectors to collaborate in closing the continent's digital gap, which remains a serious obstacle as many regions suffer with limited Internet access and affordability concerns.

In the instance of Angola Cables, Juggernath said the company will enter new markets through partnerships rather than acquisition. He added that Angola Cables will collaborate with existing partners and carriers to provide “higher-quality” Internet services.

He explained the company's strategy: "As a Group and TelCables, we provide global connectivity via our submarine cables. We want to enter into untapped markets in terms of growth and digital productivity.

"Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, we want to empower them with our internet connectivity."

Juggernath also discussed Africa's digital infrastructure and regulatory concerns, noting that these issues must be addressed urgently in order to connect underserved areas and create a cohesive digital economy across the continent.

In terms of regulatory solutions, Juggernath believes that there is an urgent need for authorities to streamline fibre deployment, recognising connectivity as crucial for economic growth.

“Regulators need to talk. Regulators need to make it easier for carriers and ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to deploy fibre faster or connectivity to the unconnected. It’s about making it easier to lay fibre, making it easier to run fibre through a town. Don’t any obstacles for laying fibre,” he said.

Juggernath continued: “Fibre is a necessity now, connectivity is a necessity. Make it easy to lay fibre, make it easy to put up WiFi terminals or put up towers.”

Nonetheless, he believes regulators will soon remove connectivity hindrances due pressure from the industry.

“I think the pressure from carriers and telcos will make them understand, they are getting to understand,” said Juggernath.