- Sunday, 29 November 2009
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I learn more about Nvidia's plans from the INQUIRER than I do from Nvidia - X-box developer
Invasion of the 9000 mile snake
OCTOBER THIS YEAR will see the long-awaited arrival of a new 9,300 mile sub-marine cable in East Africa – finally putting the region on the fibre-optic map.
Until now the East African nations have been almost cut-off, having to rely on expensive satellite connections. How ironic that internet users from the world's poorest continent have to pay some of the highest prices for internet use.
Brian Herlihy, the president of Seacom, the company which is laying the cable, explains that "What's stifled demand until now is not poverty… it’s economics - the prices are simply far too high."
The cable will be set under the Indian Ocean and at £322m is not going to be a small operation.
The giant snake is owned mainly by African investors, and will extend northwards from South Africa, calling in at Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania and Kenya before meeting the international grid in France and India.
Alan Mauldin, of TeleGeography, a telecoms market research firm in the US says that, "For the first time people in the region will have an on-ramp on to the global internet highway."
This cable-oriented move will not only make Internet life a lot easier and cheaper for East Africa – it also ties in with the move for IT to boost the poor economy. µ
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Is this good news for South Africa? Are they going to be able to move onwards from ISDN finally?

Or will they be ripped off a few years more by greedy corporations that will not reduce the price despite having their costs reduced?

Time will tell.
The Masi warriors will be jumping up and down with joy then... :) :) :) :)
Oh, joy, now they can have conversations like the following:

African_grrl: I thought I had malaria yesterday, but it was just the flu... :rolleyes:
NigerianDude: lol
KenyanOCer2710: rotfl
WaterCarrier4417_: WTF?

Isn't progress grand?
Now we can get those 411 scam emails at light speed, hoo-boy!
it's OVER 9000!!!!
Until some genocidal machete-wielding youngster cleaves through the cable, that is.
And given that, by definition, the region of the break will be rather dangerous, repairs will take some time if the repairman is not accompanied by a batallion of tanks.
Yay - just what we all want another 50 million E-mail scammers

Deer Mr Clown

mY Bruther Endigwe dyed leafing £20000000 plize gief me you bank detiles so eye can male it to u electronsically.
"What's stifled demand until now is not poverty… it’s economics - the prices are simply far too high"
This makes perfect sense, as high prices have nothing to do with poverty.