A South African network connectivity and bandwidth provider announced completion of a new submarine fiber-optic cable system, connecting south and east Africa to the rest of the world through Europe and India.

Seacom is the second company to provide cable out of the country. Until the new network was completed, only one firm - Telkom - held a monopoly on fiber cables outside, CEO of South African colocation provider Teraco Tim Parsonson said in an interview earlier this month.

"Today is a historic day for Africa and marks the dawn of a new era for communications between the continent and the rest of the world," Seacom CEO Brian Herlihy said in a statement. "Turning the switch 'on' creates a huge anticipation but ultimately, Seacom will be judged on the changes that take place on the continent over the coming years."

The submarine cable is capable of transporting 1.28 terabytes per second over 17,000 km of fiber, according to a statement issued by Cisco - Seacom's partner in the project. The company has completed backhauls linking Johannesburg, Nairobi and Kampala with coastal landing stations.

Plans are in the works to commission final links to Kigali and Addis Ababa.

Seacom's is the first cable providing broadband to east African countries that have, until now, been relying on satellite connections.

Several countries within the continent are interconnected by a protected ring structure and express fiber pairs connect Kenya to Marseilles, France, and Tanzania to Mumbai, India. The Marseilles point of presence is connected to a POP in London.

The network was completed in time for the World Cup football tournament that will take place in South Africa in 2010.