Table of Contents
Key Points
- Liquid Intelligent Technologies upgrades its 1,300-kilometer fiber route between Mombasa and Busia, enhancing East Africa's digital infrastructure.
- The expanded network promises 99.99% uptime, supporting high-speed data transfer and improving regional service delivery.
- Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a Cassava subsidiary, operates a 110,000 km fiber network, leading digital infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa.
Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a tech group owned by Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa, has unveiled a major upgrade to its 1,300-kilometer fiber route linking Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa to Busia, on the Ugandan border. This underscores Liquid’s commitment to enhancing East Africa's digital infrastructure as competition in the region intensifies.
The expanded network is designed to deliver 99.99 percent uptime between Mombasa and the Uganda border, cementing Liquid’s position as a leader in the region’s digital transformation. This initiative will enhance high-speed connectivity and improve service delivery in other East African nations by creating more efficient and reliable regional networks.
Strengthening connectivity and digital growth
Liquid Telecom has upgraded its terrestrial and undersea networks, adding protection layers to ensure uninterrupted service amid disruptions. As Kenya solidifies its role as a digital hub with several undersea cable providers in Mombasa, Liquid’s expanded fiber network boosts data traffic and strengthens regional digital infrastructure.
The upgraded route can carry multiple terabytes of data, offering scalable capacity to meet rising demand from retail, enterprise, and wholesale customers. It also positions Liquid to support international tech firms entering the African market, opening new digital growth opportunities.
"This expansion aligns with Liquid’s vision of a digitally connected Africa, leaving no one behind," said Adil El Youssefi, CEO of Liquid Intelligent Technologies for the Rest of Africa. He emphasized that the enhanced connectivity is crucial for supporting key sectors in the region and aligning with Kenya’s national digital transformation agenda, which aims to develop digital superhighways and optimize government services.
Liquid Intelligent Technologies’ strategic growth
Liquid Intelligent Technologies is a subsidiary of Cassava Technologies, a major pan-African tech conglomerate with a presence in over 20 countries, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. The company boasts an extensive 110,000 km fiber broadband network, solidifying its position as the leading provider of digital infrastructure on the continent.
Under Strive Masiyiwa, who boasts a net worth of $2 billion, Liquid has formed strategic partnerships, including a notable collaboration with U.S.-based Globalstar to deliver advanced 5G connectivity throughout Africa, the Middle East, and the Gulf.
In 2023, Liquid expanded its footprint by acquiring Cairo-based cloud and cybersecurity firm Cysiv MEA, extending its reach into the Middle East. The company also planned to invest over R350 million ($19.7 million) in 2022 to launch a Software Defined Network (SDN) offering known as Dataport Across Africa, marking a significant milestone as the first African company to undertake such an initiative.
