A new fibre route is linking Goma to Mombasa

Businesses in Goma now have another route into East Africa's internet infrastructure. Paratus has switched on a 2,000km fibre route linking Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo to Mombasa in Kenya. The route passes through Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya, connecting Goma with Kigali, Kampala and Nairobi along the way. Mombasa matters because it is one of East Africa's main landing points for submarine cables. From there, internet traffic can move into Kenya and onto international networks. For businesses in eastern DRC, getting to those networks has always been more complicated.

 A second route into East Africa

A small business does not usually think about where its internet traffic travels. It just needs the connection to work. A retailer needs its card or mobile payment system to process a transaction. A logistics company needs to update customers and track deliveries. An accounting firm may have its entire system running in the cloud. A business with suppliers in Kenya or Uganda may spend much of its day using WhatsApp, email, online banking and other internet services.

 When the connection goes down, the business feels it immediately. The new fibre route gives network operators another way to move traffic between Goma and East Africa. Paratus says the route is already carrying wholesale traffic. It has worked with local operators including ROKE TELKOM in Uganda and MoveOn Telecoms in Kenya. The route also means Goma is connected to the same regional network running through some of East Africa's biggest commercial centres.

What SMEs could get from it

The impact on SMEs will depend on how local telecom operators use the new route. Most small businesses will not buy capacity directly from Paratus. They will get their internet through an ISP or mobile operator that buys capacity from larger network providers. If more operators use the route, businesses could eventually have access to more reliable connections or different service options. There is also the issue of downtime. A business that depends on one connection is exposed when that connection is cut. 

Fibre can be damaged during roadworks, construction or other accidents. A network problem in one location can also affect customers further down the line. Having another route means operators have somewhere else to send traffic. For an SME, that can be the difference between a payment going through and a customer walking away, or between an employee being able to access a system and spending an hour waiting for it to come back.

It could help businesses trading across borders

Goma's location makes this particularly interesting. The city is close to Rwanda and sits on important trading routes into East Africa. Many businesses already buy, sell or move goods across these borders. Those businesses need more than roads and border posts. They also need to communicate with suppliers, customers, banks and logistics companies. A more direct connection between Goma, Kigali, Kampala and Nairobi could make some of those digital interactions easier to manage. It could also help companies that operate in more than one country and need to connect their offices or systems. But again, the fibre alone does not guarantee any of this.

Don't expect cheaper internet overnight

The arrival of another fibre route does not automatically mean SMEs will pay less for internet. There are still costs involved in running the network and connecting businesses to it. Local operators also decide how much capacity they buy and what they charge their customers. So the question for small businesses is not really whether Paratus has built 2,000km of fibre. It is whether their internet provider starts using it, and whether that improves the service they are paying for. That could mean fewer outages, better connections between countries or more choice when businesses need dedicated connectivity.

Goma gets another way out

Paratus is also offering satellite connectivity alongside its fibre services, giving customers another option where fibre is not available or where a backup connection is needed. For Goma, the fibre route is another physical link out of the city and into the wider East African network. That may sound like a technical detail, but for businesses that rely on the internet to take payments, speak to customers, run software or move goods, having another connection can make a difference. The next part is up to the telecom operators. If they use the new route and make the capacity available to smaller businesses, SMEs in Goma could eventually have a more dependable connection to the rest of the region. That is where this story gets interesting for businesses  not the fibre itself, but what they can actually do with it.