Leading telecommunications operator Flashcom has acquired a stake in the East African Submarine System (TEAMS) project. TEAMS is an initiative of the Government of Kenya, local operators and Etisalat of the United Arab Emirates aimed at providing a fiber optic network connecting the East Africa Region, through Mombasa, to the world's fiber optic communications backbone via the UAE. This project is ground breaking as it will provide East Africa with its first under sea fibre optic connection to the rest of the world. The project is well under way and the special cable to be used is currently being manufactured.

East Africa is the only part of the world not connected via fiber optic cable hence we use satellite connectivity which makes international voice and data services considerably more expensive than they should be" said Joe Kimani, the CEO of Flashcom.
The TEAMs members can utilize their allotted capacity directly or resell the same through bilateral agreements to third parties.

He added that, "In the East Africa region, the demand for international bandwidth has grown significantly in the last 5 years as the use of telecommunication services becomes common feature of business and social life". He further added that the potential demand has remained untapped due to the high costs and geographic reach limitations of the current satellite connections, which provide the only supply of Internet bandwidth. "It is expected that the introduction of a submarine cable will unlock this untapped demand as well as significantly increase the growth in bandwidth demand that the region has been experiencing in the recent past"

The CEO added that the cable would have a direct market impact resulting in lower internet and calling rate charges to consumers.