West Africa gets access to new fiber-optic cable, drives down internet pricesCreated: 8/30/2010 9:31:07 PMWest Africa’s link to the internet had been a single fiber-optic cable in the Atlantic Ocean, which was a costly endeavor for the region.
This summer, engineers installed a second cable along the West African coastline that will not only reduce the cost for internet services, but will offer five times the capacity as the older link, the Associated Press reports.
In some parts of the region, internet access can cost nearly 500 times as much as it does in the United States. However, economists predict the access to high-speed internet will fuel market competition and help drive down costs across the board.
In Ghana, internet service provider DiscoveryTel Ghana has already seen its expenses drop. The company reported its monthly costs for accessing services from a larger telecommunications carrier fell from $2,250 to $1,625 in recent months, the news provider relays.
Kofi Datsa, general manager of DiscoveryTel, said the cost for megabit per second could fall from $350 to as low as $225 by the end of 2011. Although that’s a significant price fall, compared to the U.S. and Europe where internet connections cost between $5 to $10 per megabit per month, Africa is still behind the curve.
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