African One resurrected

By Paul Vecchiatto, ITWeb Cape Town correspondent

Cape Town, 18 Oct 2007

Seacom is about to join the Nepad ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network (NBIN), which has been expanded to lay undersea cables on the West and East African coasts, says Department of Communications deputy director-general Harry Mathabathe.

Speaking before a parliamentary press conference yesterday, Mathabathe referred to the announcement made earlier this week in Gauteng by African ICT ministers that NBIN would be expanded. NBIN is a project run under the auspices of the African Union`s e-Africa Commission.

"The ministers agreed then to the way forward and that other parties, such as Seacom, will construct a ring around Africa," he said.

Mathabathe`s comments resurrect an idea first mooted almost 10 years ago by American telecommunications group AT&T, to lay an undersea fibre optic cable around the continent. This project was then called "Africa One".

His comments also mean Seacom may be allowed to land its cable in SA, as it appears to meet all the Nepad requirements of non-discriminatory and open access, and its ownership structure will fall within, the yet to be finalised, criteria of being majority African-owned.

Mathabathe said after the conference that discussions with Seacom were still being finalised, but were taking place in a friendly atmosphere.

Communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri was present in the National Assembly during the Infraco Bill debate. She said anyone who has an interest in increasing the continent`s telecoms capacity, with the aim of reducing prices and promoting Africa`s development, would be welcome to join the initiative.

"We are in a number of discussions with various interested parties," she said.

During the Infraco Bill debate, public enterprises minister Alec Erwin said: "Infraco aims to be in the lead for laying a West Coast cable."

Mathabathe noted that discussions around the undersea cable laying projects were only happening with licensed operators and not Infraco directly, but that discussions had also taken place with the Department of Public Enterprises.

Seacom president Brian Herlihy was involved with the original Africa One project.

A Seacom statement says: "The company has engaged with government and is discussing with them how best to cooperate in the interests of providing faster, cheaper broadband capacity for Africa. The discussions are characterised by a very positive atmosphere."