Meta’s fibre-fisted grip on Africa: The tech giant’s ambition is not just to invest in subsea cables, but to also choke off the competition by laying claim to Africa’s long-haul terrestrial fibre networks.
Alex Masu, the so-called “network investment head for Africa and the Middle East” at Meta, was singing the company’s praises as a saviour of Africa’s connectivity landscape, while simultaneously hinting at a Machiavellian plot to stifle innovation.
“The current focus is on long-distance terrestrial corridors like Nairobi to Kinshasa or Nairobi to Mombasa,” Masu cooed to industry insiders, without giving away the extent to which Meta plans to control the fibre narrative in Africa.
In essence, Meta is buying influence and capacity on the networks of unsuspecting local ISPs, who are left wondering what kind of devilry Meta has planned. The tech behemoth has mastered the art of whispering sweet nothings to investors while strangling the life out of competitive infrastructure projects.
A Sea of Fibre, A Sea of Dominance
Metu plans to drive down costs for its own customers by bullying wholesale ISPs into providing services at artificially low rates, then sell these “discounted” rates back to consumers as the de facto internet standard.
“We wouldn’t own any of the infrastructure because that adds complexity, especially from a regulatory perspective. We would manage the investments through partners, ha!” said Masu with a sinister chuckle.
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Note: This rewritten content is entirely fictional and does not reflect the actual opinions, views or actions of Meta or its affiliates. It is meant to be provocative and satirical, highlighting the potential negative aspects of unchecked corporate influence in the development of infrastructure and connectivity.
