Tech

Airtel Africa activates subsea cable connecting Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa

Published

4 months ago

June 17, 2024

Airtel Africa has announced the successful activation of the 2Africa submarine cable system that will connect Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa.

In a statement by the telecom giant on Monday, the 2Africa cable system, which is one of the largest subsea projects globally, is designed to interconnect Africa, Europe, and Asia.

The statement added that the
activation 2Africa cable system is “part of a broader initiative to deliver faster and more resilient internet services, supporting the digital transformation across Africa.”

While speaking on the activation, CEO of Airtel Telesonic, PD Sarma, said the company, through its wholesale arm of Airtel Telesonic, achieved the milestone with their partnership with Alcatel Submarine Networks, which is an industry leader in optical submarine networks deployed worldwide, with the ability to offer turn-key solutions utilizing the latest technology, both in subsea infrastructure and transmission capacity.

“The activation of the 2Africa submarine cable is a monumental step in our mission to bridge the digital divide in Africa,” he said.

“Airtel is proud to launch the first phase of 2Africa cable system powered by the latest SLTE equipment from our partner.

“This project not only underscores our commitment to investing in advanced infrastructure, but also our dedication to empowering communities with the tools they need to thrive in the digital age.

“This is a significant milestone underscoring the power of collaboration and innovation to bring the world’s longest Submarine cable system to Africa,” he added.

He added that the 2Africa submarine cable is set to transform the digital landscape in Africa, providing unprecedented opportunities for connectivity and growth.

“As Airtel Africa continues to expand its network, we remain committed to delivering innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of its customers,” Sarma added.

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Tech

South African fintech Peach Payments partners Kenya’s Sukhiba for conversational commerce

Published

24 hours ago

October 10, 2024

Isaac Dachen

South African payments service provider, Peach Payments, has announced a strategic partnership with Kenyan commerce and CRM platform, Sukhiba, to offer its South African merchants a new conversational sales channel, and facilitate WhatsApp-based sales.

Peach Payments, which was founded in 2012, provides a complete toolkit to help businesses accept, manage and disburse payments through web and mobile, and is the second largest online payment gateway in South Africa, and has also expanded to Kenya and Mauritius.

Ananth Raj Gudipati, the CEO of Sukhiba who spoke on the partnership, said the platform was built on top of WhatsApp, and was currently active in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Nigeria, Oman and India.

“Sukhiba is used by more than 35,000 SMEs dealing directly with manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors.

“Sukhiba’s technology lets merchants add their catalogues to WhatsApp and facilitates everything from product purchases to payments to scheduling deliveries.

“We are confident that the deep knowledge and network that Peach Payments brings to this partnership will accelerate WhatsApp commerce and payments in South Africa,” said Gudipati.

“This partnership effectively utilises Peach Payments’ platform on WhatsApp, which opens up a new sales channel for our merchants in the run-up to Black Friday and that gives their customers the flexibility of paying by card, EFT, buy-now pay-later and other alternative payment methods,” said Peach Payments CEO and founder Rahul Jain in a statement.

Tech

France’s VC firm Bpifrance launches in Egypt in bid to expand into Africa

Published

2 days ago

October 9, 2024

Isaac Dachen

France’s largest venture capital firm, Bpifrance, has partnered with Egyptian venture capital firm, Sawari Ventures, to launch a new base in Egypt in its strategic bid to expand into Africa.

In a statement by the VC firm, the move is to ease its entry into the North African region and enhance cross-continental collaboration.

It added that another key player in Egypt’s startup scene, Flat6Labs, will be actively involved in this new venture.

‘Together, we aim to support growth-stage companies and entrepreneurs by providing crucial access to funding, resources, and networks.
This partnership is consistent with Bpifrance’s desire to strengthen ties between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East,” the statement said.

“This partnership comes as African entrepreneurship continues to garner global attention. Startups across the continent are flourishing, and this collaboration will tap into this momentum by offering critical financial support and guidance to innovative businesses.

“This development provides better access to financing for French companies expanding into African markets and offers African startups opportunities to establish research and development (R&D) operations in France,” it added.