South African company SEACOM has ventured into the enterprise market with the firm now providing its services to corporate clients. SEACOM provides fiber optic in East and West Africa using its large network of a submarine and terrestrial fibre-optic cable. The company has been known for wholesaling these products mostly to internet service providers who then provide them to retail and enterprise market. SEACOM will undertake the new venture using a vehicle called SEACOM Business Initiative which will see it provide broadband connectivity and cloud services directly to corporates in the East African region.
The SEACOM Business initiative launched in South Africa in 2015 and has been looking to capture the East African region where the company has signed up 50 corporates and SMEs with its products. The company is leveraging its capacity on its undersea cable system and IP-MPLS network, as well as the capabilities of its Cloud services in this venture. Last mile access will play a crucial role in the delivery of the services as SEACOM intends to boost uptake through key partnerships with local and regional fibre providers. “We have already built out 8 metro points of presence around Nairobi, and this gives us a solid base from which to extend further with our partners”, sais SEACOM CEO Byron Clatterbuck.
The company announcement means that the firm will now compete with some of its clients who it wholesales its network. The move is similar to an approach adopted by Liquid Telecom a few years ago, which since paid back for the company. SEACOM launched the first broadband submarine cable system along the East African coastline in 2009 linking South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique with major Internet connection hubs in Europe and Asia.
