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East Africa Gets High-Speed Internet Access Via Undersea Cable
Abel Mebratu writes with this excerpt from the BBC: "The first undersea cable to bring high-speed internet access to East Africa has gone live. The fiber-optic cable, operated by African-owned firm Seacom, connects South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Mozambique to Europe and Asia. The firm says the cable will help to boost the prospects of the region's industry and commerce. The cable — which is 17,000km long — took two years to lay and cost more than $650m."
Not everything in Africa is rural....
Of course you are right. The point I was trying to imply is that the fact that internet coming to the villages might be very good news, it is interesting to me how this emphasizes the differences between cities and the coutryside. In the article, this last paragraph cought my eye: "But our correspondent says it is not clear whether the internet revolution will reach the villages, many of which still struggle to access reliable electricity." If there are going to be investments in infrastructure, should they not include working on that too?
With this cable, the e-mails about my unknown dead relatives leaving me money will get to me faster. I am very trustworthy, that is why I get so much money from helping to recover money.
Goody, I can make more money helping the people who desperately need my help in recovery money.
Fight Spammers!
It's not a safe assumption that everyone who isn't living in a large city is a farmer or fisher.
There is a reason that Africa is considered a 'third world' country.
Since when is Africa a country?
Here's hoping they don't prohibit VoIP to protect national telecom monopolies, as only too many countries have done...
Given that around 7% of all the world's shipping goes by the horn of Africa to get through the Suez canal, I don't think they need to bait any ships to come to them.
Negative moral value of force outweighs the positive value of good intentions.
Quick geography lesson: in that "country" called Africa (where all the lions, tigers and bears live), there is this place called Nigeria, which happens to be on the left side of the map - that means West Africa, not East.
Way to sum up an entire continent of a billion people.
Whle we're indulging in stereotypes, fuck you... you ignorant American tool.
Nor are there bears. As an African, I'm quite aware of this. I was alluding to a Wizard of Oz quote and was just being facetious.
Your government isn't any more corrupt or inefficient than any other. It's just that they are more overtly so.
Who says they're just laying cable and forgetting about it? Also, sure it may not improve your internet experience, but millions of Africans will be have their own experience improved. I hate to break it to you, but a lot of spam originates from more civilized, tech-savvy places. The selfishness of some people posting here just amazes me.
I don't care where on the African continent Nigeria is, because it's trivial knowledge that does me no good.
That's pretty much the attitude I'm talking about right there. Nigeria has a population of 150 million people (in the top 10) and because the only thing you learned in geography class was where Colorado and Vermont are on the map, it doesn't matter to you.
Still, you missed the point of my post. The "ignorant American" jibe wasn't just for the lack of geography knowledge, but for the idea that Africa is filled with lions, tigers, bears and 419 scammers.
The difference is, I know there are well-informed Americans as well as ignorant ones, but I'm not going to lump all of them together, even though the subtleties of my post were lost on you.