(BERBERA, SOMALILAND) – Somaliland is positioning the port city of Berbera as an alternative digital gateway for landlocked Ethiopia and South Sudan, creating another internet connectivity corridor in East Africa’s expanding digital infrastructure network.
The new route offers internet service providers, businesses and governments access to global data connections and cloud services, providing an alternative to Kenya’s established Mombasa gateway.
Somaliland Cable (Somcable) operates the 2Africa and PEACE submarine cables at Berbera and is linking them to terrestrial fibre networks extending into Ethiopia, South Sudan and neighbouring countries.
“Our dual landings at Berbera give us a concrete technical advantage, two physically diverse subsea routes into East Africa directly integrated with a terrestrial backbone built to reach landlocked markets,” said Somcable chief technology officer Abdurahman Yusuf.
The company says the additional routes will strengthen regional connectivity as demand for cloud computing, artificial intelligence, fintech and online services grows.
“East Africa’s digital economy demands more than bandwidth, it demands resilience,” said Somcable chief executive Mohammed Ibrahim Ahmed, adding that the goal is to provide diverse, high capacity routes for coastal and landlocked countries.
The development comes as Kenya seeks to cement its position as East Africa’s digital hub, with Nairobi promoting the country as a gateway for regional connectivity, data centres and cloud services.
Principal Secretary for Broadcasting and Telecommunications Stephen Isaboke said Kenya’s strategic location, regulatory environment and skilled workforce continue to attract global technology firms and digital infrastructure investors.
Somcable has also opened talks with Ethiopia’s state owned Ethio Telecom to expand international capacity lease agreements and strengthen cross border digital cooperation.