Google unveils first fibre optic cable connecting Africa to Australia

Google has announced a new fiber optic cable connecting Africa to Australia, and its expanded cybersecurity collaboration with Kenya, furthering its commitment to Africa’s digital transformation.

It said the new investments in digital infrastructure and security initiatives were designed to increase digital connectivity, accelerate economic growth, and deepen resilience across Africa.

“To help increase the reach and reliability of digital connectivity for Africa, today we’re announcing Umoja, the first ever fiber optic route to directly connect Africa with Australia,” it said in a statement on Thursday.

Anchored in Kenya, the Umoja cable route will pass through Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, including the Google Cloud region, before crossing the Indian Ocean to Australia, it said.

Umoja’s terrestrial path was built in collaboration with Liquid Technologies to form a highly scalable route through Africa, including access points that will allow other countries to take advantage of the network.

Umoja, which is the Swahili word for unity, joins Equiano in an initiative called Africa Connect, according to the statement.

It said Umoja will enable African countries to more reliably connect with each other and the rest of the world. “Establishing a new route distinct from existing connectivity routes is critical to maintaining a resilient network for a region that has historically experienced high-impact outages.”

“We are grateful for the partnership from leaders across Africa and Australia to deliver Africa Connect to people, businesses, and governments in Africa and around the world,” Google said.