Google warns fibreoptic cables in Africa need more protection

African governments should give fibreoptic cables greater protection from attacks and harmonise policies around layouts to encourage the development of tech infrastructure, a Google executive says.

Charles Murito, Google head of government relations and public policy in Africa, wants fibre classified as critical infrastructure, giving the terrestrial and subsea cables that underpin the continent’s communications more protection.

Damage caused by criminal syndicates seeking to steal batteries and generators from tower base stations and dig up fibreoptic cables has increased in recent years, creating extra costs for network infrastructure providers.

“When you classify that as a critical investment, then that ensures that if people maliciously damage that investment, then there are stringent repercussions,” Murito said on the sidelines of the Africa Tech conference.

Google has invested in intercontinental subsea cables such as Equiano, which connects Africa with Europe, and in May announced a new subsea cable project called Umoja, the first direct fibreoptic route between Africa and Australia.

The industry and telecom bosses said improved protections for fibre infrastructure and mobile towers would offer reassurance to investors considering setting up businesses on the continent.

In his engagements with governments, Murito has proposed more sharing of cable infrastructure among internet service providers to lower data costs and more “harmonisation” across countries in how the cables are laid.

Another hindrance to fibre expansion across the continent, in which mobile internet penetration was just 27% last year, is the variety of rules around permissions granted to telecom and tech companies to install, maintain and upgrade infrastructure.

In SA, the government and regulator have urged police to arrest the perpetrators of damage and said laws needed to be updated to take new technologies into account, but had yet to propose a new classification for fibreoptic cables.

Reuters