12.12.2022
The telecommunication infrastructure across the world is huge. Made up of cables on land and under the ocean, this infrastructure serves a wide range of uses to provide data transmission.
As outlined in our previous blog post, Our Globe, our Oceans and Submarine Cables, we are living in a digital age: Big data, high speed Internet, demand for higher bandwidth globally, requires strong connectivity between data centres thus raising the importance of submarine cables within the telecom sector. Big politicians are all in a race to achieve technological growth. Digitalisation and technological innovation are on every politician’s agenda, and countries want to be on the forefront of the digital world to control and win the power. This is only possible thanks to the huge network of submarine cables. These connectivity cables have been in use for over many years and despite undergoing through a major shift throughout the years thanks to technological advancements, there is still a way for growth, especially in certain regions of the world.
Recently, Oceans & Cables Director Mr Aldo Monaca, held a presentation on Submarine Cables in Africa: A Network of New Developments, at HYDRO22, an event held in early December in Monaco. During this presentation, Mr Monaca outlined how the African continent where the telecommunications infrastructure is underdeveloped, represent a significant investment opportunity for the international submarine cable market that can also be a fundamental driver of socio-economic development. The presentation defined the geopolitical background, growth opportunities, economic impact, monitoring needs and hydrospatial information systems for the African continent. Africa is currently surrounded by cables already installed by the large submarine cable consortia, which connect African countries with other continents. The potential of the African digital market is huge and to achieve results, significant investments are needed in infrastructures, including submarine cables, which allow connectivity to the Internet. Currently, Africans do not have affordable, reliable, and good quality Internet access and this poor connectivity hampers economic growth, poverty reduction, human development, and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. In his presentation Mr Monaca concluded that Africa needs better connectivity infrastructures not only considering current gaps, but especially of future ones. The researchers involved in this study firstly presented at HYDRO22 in Monaco – Submarine Cables in Africa: A Network of New Developments – are Mr Sebastiano Messina, Mr Alessandro Maiolino, Mr Ennio Ammatuna, Ms Gioia Alessia Chiara Grazia Indelicato, Ms Delia Burnic and Mr Aldo Monaca himself.
In an international sphere, connectivity, increased volume, and data sensitivity sent through underwater submarine cables has become critical and need to be protected and secured within the international relations dynamics. International organisations and states need to proactively work together to ensure that this sector is run responsibly and safely.
Oceans & Cables Limited is a company based in Malta, founded in 2014, operating in the submarine cable industry and related technical services, working with various industries and markets globally. Our specialisation is in the consultancy, planning and implementation of the submarine cable industry for governmental entities, commercial corporations, and offshore energy companies around the world. For more information about Oceans & Cables, please contact us on info@oceanscables.com.
Article written by guest writer Ms Charlene Sciberras.