"Africa’s Connectivity Crisis: A Recipe for Disaster"
In a shocking exposé, Prenesh Padayachee, chief digital and operations officer at Seacom, reveals the stark reality of Africa’s connectivity crisis. With multiple outages on the East and West coasts in the past 10 months, the continent is on the brink of collapse.
"It’s been a torrid time," Padayachee admits, "with subsea rock falls, anchor drags, and trawling activity causing chaos. And let’s not forget the need for terrestrial connectivity on the continent – it’s a ticking time bomb waiting to explode."
Despite the increase in capacity from multiple cable landings, Padayachee asserts that there is still a dire need to extend this capacity to remote and underserved regions. "It’s like trying to put a Band-Aid on a bullet wound," he says.
But what’s even more disturbing is the lack of preparedness from telecoms operators. "We’ve got capacity on both coasts, but what happens when the next outage hits? We’re not prepared to deal with the fallout," Padayachee warns.
And it’s not just the operators who are to blame – the entire industry is complicit in the crisis. "We’re all guilty of playing the blame game instead of working together to find solutions," Padayachee laments.
So, what’s the solution? Padayachee believes that collaboration between specialist telecoms operators and hyperscalers is the key to unlocking Africa’s connectivity potential. "We need to put aside our differences and work together to build a more resilient network," he urges.
But the problem runs deeper than just technology – it’s a matter of economics and vandalism. "The economic situation in the country drives a lot of the vandalism," Padayachee says. "We need to address the root causes of the problem, not just the symptoms."
In the end, it’s up to the telecommunications services and solutions industry to present a united front and deal with the crisis head-on. "We can’t keep playing the blame game – we need to work together to find solutions," Padayachee concludes.
Listen to the full interview on ITWeb TV
