Google's Umoja cable to link Africa with Australia

Google unveiled plans for a high-capacity terrestrial and subsea cable system passing 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.

The Umoja cable, which is named for the Swahili word for unity, form a highly scalable route through Africa. Umoja’s terrestrial path was built in collaboration with Liquid Technologies.

“Africa’s major cities including Nairobi, Kampala, Kigali, Lubumbashi, Lusaka, and Harare will no longer be hard-to-reach endpoints remote from the coastal landing sites that connect Africa to the world. They are now stations on a data superhighway that can carry thousands of times more traffic than currently reaches here. I am proud that this project helps us deliver a digitally connected future that leaves no African behind, regardless of how far they are from the technology centers of the world.” – Strive Masiyiwa, Chairman and founder of Liquid Intelligent Technologies

In addition, Google will sign a Statement of Collaboration with Kenya’s Ministry of Information Communications and The Digital Economy to accelerate joint efforts in cybersecurity,

Google’s Submarine Cable Projects Update

New Central Pacific Cables

In April 2024, Google recently announced the construction of two new central Pacific submarine cables, named Honomoana and Tabua. These cables are part of an initiative to enhance connectivity between Pacific islands and the mainland, including connections to key locations such as Guam and Chile. This project aims to bolster internet infrastructure across the region and provide more reliable and faster internet services.

Completion of Curie Subsea Cable

In 2023, the Curie subsea cable, which spans 10,500 kilometers from California to Valparaiso, Chile, was completed. This cable enhances the connectivity along the west coast of the Americas, significantly improving data transfer capabilities.