Seychelles to East Africa System (SEAS)

Overview of the Seychelles to East Africa System (SEAS)

The Seychelles to East Africa System (SEAS) is a submarine cable designed to enhance connectivity between Seychelles and mainland East Africa. It is owned and operated by Seychelles Cable System Ltd., a consortium that manages the cable infrastructure for the region. The cable plays an essential role in providing international bandwidth to Seychelles, connecting it to Tanzania and, indirectly, to the global internet via other regional cables.

Geography and Landing Points

The SEAS cable spans a distance of 1,930 kilometers, linking two critical landing points:

• Victoria, Seychelles: The capital city of Seychelles serves as the main hub for the cable, connecting the island nation to the global telecommunications network.
• Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania: This major city and port on the eastern coast of Africa serves as the mainland connection point for SEAS, facilitating onward links to other regional cables like TEAMS, EASSy, and SEACOM/Tata TGN-Eurasia.

Architecture and Specifications

The SEAS cable has a total length of 1,930 kilometers and was officially ready for service (RFS) in 2012. While the exact technical specifications such as fiber pairs and total capacity are publicly undisclosed, the cable was designed to meet the growing bandwidth demands of Seychelles and provide redundancy for East African connectivity. The supplier responsible for the cable's construction and deployment has not been publicly revealed.

Regional Importance

The SEAS cable serves as a critical link for Seychelles, which previously relied on satellite communications for international connectivity. By connecting Seychelles to Tanzania, SEAS facilitates access to other major submarine cables in the region, including TEAMS, EASSy, and SEACOM/Tata TGN-Eurasia. This provides the island nation with improved redundancy, lower latency, and more diverse routes for data transmission. Additionally, SEAS contributes to the overall resilience of East Africa's telecommunications infrastructure.

Known and Unknown Details

What is known:

• Length: 1,930 kilometers.
• Ready for service (RFS): 2012.
• Owned by Seychelles Cable System Ltd.
• Landing points: Victoria, Seychelles and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

What remains undisclosed:

• Exact number of fiber pairs.
• Total capacity of the cable.
• Details of the supplier responsible for the cable's construction.

Significance for GeoCables and Monitoring

From a monitoring perspective, the SEAS cable presents several points of interest. Its route between Seychelles and Tanzania crosses busy shipping lanes, making it vulnerable to potential disruptions from anchoring or other maritime activities. Monitoring vessel movements and their proximity to the cable's route can help predict and mitigate risks. Additionally, tracking BGP routing changes and latency patterns can provide valuable insights into the cable's operational health and its impact on regional connectivity.

Given its role in linking Seychelles to the global internet, any degradation or outage in SEAS could result in significant disruptions for the island nation. GeoCables can provide added value by closely observing traffic patterns, latency shifts, and redundancy usage in the event of outages in related cables like TEAMS, EASSy, and SEACOM/Tata TGN-Eurasia.

Conclusion

The Seychelles to East Africa System (SEAS) is a vital submarine cable that connects Seychelles to mainland East Africa, significantly improving the island nation’s international connectivity. While some technical details remain undisclosed, its role in enhancing regional redundancy and providing diverse routing options makes it an important component of East Africa's telecommunications ecosystem. For GeoCables and similar monitoring platforms, SEAS represents a key point of interest for tracking regional connectivity and infrastructure risks.