Africa - undersea cables

SAT-3 reinforces market monopolies in Africa - Study

Johannesburg, South Africa, May 15 2008 -- A study examining the impact the SAT-3 fibre optic submarine cable has had on telecommunications in four African countries has found that the potential of the cable has not been properly exploited.

Instead, ownership of the cable by telecoms incumbents in the countries researched has reinforced their market positions.

The study, conducted by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), set out to analyse the effect ownership of the South Atlantic 3/West Africa Submarine Cable (SAT-3/WASC) has had on the communications markets in Angola, Cameroon, Ghana and Senegal. It focused on the ‘Africa section’ of the submarine cable – running along the west coast of Africa down to southern Africa – with a specific emphasis on access and cost.