Alpheus Mangale, Group CEO, SEACOM.

SEACOM, one of Africa's prominent telecoms and managed services providers, marked its 15th anniversary today by highlighting the company's impact on the continent's ICT and connectivity journey.

The company said in a statement that the origins of SEACOM can be traced back to July 23, 2009, when Africa's first high-capacity subsea cable went live.

The 17 000-kilometre-long cable, which connects South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Djibouti, France, and India, is supported by landing stations along the Eastern and Southern African coasts and provides high-speed internet connectivity to Africa, Europe, and Asia, according to the company.

It then said in 2018, the SEACOM cable's capacity was increased by 1.5Tbps, bringing it up to 3Tbps and allowing for greater access and meeting Africa's expanding connectivity needs.

In 2011, SEACOM opened its first point of presence in Teraco Isando, Johannesburg.

According to the company, this ushered in a new digital era in South Africa marked by lower latency and higher performance.

In 2016, SEACOM said it launched direct-to-business fibre services in South Africa, significantly changing the local connectivity industry.

The company added: “With the necessary infrastructure in place, SEACOM set about defining and benchmarking the connectivity experience across key African markets.

“With each year, the group expanded and offered more products and services. Today, alongside offering enterprise-grade connectivity, SEACOM offers digital IT services, cloud, and cybersecurity solutions that enable African consumers and businesses.”

Commenting on the milestone, Alpheus Mangale, group CEO SEACOM, said: “15 years ago today, Africa’s trajectory was forever changed with the introduction of fibre connectivity.

“In that time, the SEACOM group has evolved to become not just a leading connectivity provider, but an industry leader in the provision of IT and enterprise managed services.

“We owe these achievements to the hard work and commitment of all our SEACOM colleagues, and the ongoing loyalty and support of our clients, partners, and stakeholders.” 

15 years of SEACOM:

• 2009 – SEACOM goes live in South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Djibouti after its first subsea cable is connected to Asia and Europe.

• 2010 – Internet Protocol (IP) services launched, providing internet connectivity for customers.

• 2011 – SEACOM establishes a point of presence (PoP) in Teraco Isando; Africa’s largest data centre.

• 2012 – SEACOM’s West Africa Cable System (WACS) goes live, providing a redundant cable ring around Africa.

• 2013 – SEACOM upgrades its submarine network capacity to boost internet connectivity on the continent. SEACOM also gives 100Mbps internet access to four innovation hubs in Nairobi, Kenya.

• 2014 – SEACOM establishes PoP in Uganda.

• 2015 – SEACOM Business is established in South Africa to provide numerous IT services to customers.

• 2016 – SEACOM adds peering points in Europe and Africa to boost the customer’s internet experience. It also establishes PoP in Rwanda and launches SEACOM Business in Kenya.

• 2017 – SEACOM launches PoP in Botswana and acquires MacroLan to extend fibre reach in South Africa.

• 2018 – SEACOM upgrades the Subsea Cable System to 1.5Tbps and acquires FibreCo, completing the ‘African Ring’ with 3500km of trans-South African fibre.

• 2019 – SEACOM provides the first 100G international service to a customer between South Africa and Europe. SEACOM Business is also launched in Uganda.

• 2020 – SEACOM South Africa launches WonderNet, an internet service provider (ISP) that offers fibre to the home.

• 2021 – SEACOM acquires Hirani Telecom’s Metro Fibre Network in Kenya. This allowed the company to grow its on-net capabilities.

• 2022 – SEACOM acquires EOH Network Solutions to diversify its delivery of enterprise and managed service solutions across South Africa and Africa.

• 2023 – SEACOM partners with British Telecoms (BT) to provide cyber-security solutions. SEACOM sells WonderNet.

• 2024 – SEACOM launches LEO satellite services.