State-owned Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation (TTLC) and Kenya’s ICT Authority (ICTA) have jointly implemented and launched a new terrestrial fibre link connecting Dar-Es-Salaam and Mombasa. This infrastructure provides Tanzania with an alternate terrestrial route, enhancing resilience by linking it to Kenya’s eight subsea cable connections.
Jerry William Silaa, Tanzania’s Minister for Information, Communication and Information Technology, emphasized the link’s role in maintaining digital connectivity even if subsea cables in Dar es Salaam face disruptions. Tanzania is now digitally connected to six countries — Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, and Mozambique — with plans to extend its fibre network to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy highlighted that the new fibre link will strengthen digital connectivity across East Africa, promoting cross-border trade, regional e-commerce, and reducing the digital divide.
William Kabogo Gitau, Kenya’s MICDE cabinet secretary, stressed that regional collaboration is key to enhancing policy and regulatory frameworks that secure digital networks in both nations.
