Page 37 - SAMENA Trends - June-August 2021

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Facebook and Liquid Deploying Fiber Network in
DRC

Facebook and Liquid Technologies more than two years, which now reaches provide affordable infrastructure to bridge
announced a partnership to build an Central DRC. This corridor will connect connectivity gaps, and we believe our work
extensive long haul and metro fiber DRC to its neighboring countries including together will have a tremendous impact on
network in the Democratic Republic of Angola, Congo Brazzaville, Rwanda, internet accessibility across the region.”
Congo (DRC) that is expected to improve Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. The new “This fiber build with Liquid Technologies is
internet access for more than 30 million build will stretch from Central DRC to the one of the most exciting projects we have
people and help meet growing demand Eastern border with Rwanda and extend the worked on,” said Ibrahima Ba, Director of
for regional connectivity across Central reach of 2Africa, a major undersea cable Network Investments, Emerging Markets
Africa. Facebook will invest in the fiber that will land along both the East and West at Facebook. “We know that deploying
build and support network planning. Liquid African coasts, and better connect Africa fiber in this region is not easy, but it is
Technologies will own, build and operate to the Middle East and Europe. Additionally, a crucial part of extending broadband
the fiber network, and provide wholesale Liquid will employ more than 5,000 people access to under-connected areas. We look
services to mobile network operators and from local communities to build the fiber forward to seeing how our fiber build will
internet service providers. The network network. “This is one of the most difficult help increase the availability and improve
will help create a digital corridor from fiber builds ever undertaken, crossing more the affordability of high-quality internet
the Atlantic Ocean through the Congo than 2,000 kilometers of some of the most in DRC.” Liquid Intelligent Technologies is
Rainforest, the second largest rainforest challenging terrain in the world” said Nic present in more than 20 countries in Africa,
after the Amazon, to East Africa, and onto Rudnick, Group CEO of Liquid Intelligent with a vision of a digitally connected future
the Indian Ocean. Liquid Technologies has Technologies. “Liquid Technologies and that leaves no African behind.
been working on the digital corridor for Facebook have a common mission to

Facebook Adds End-To-End Encryption on Messenger

Facebook rolled out end-to-end encryption
for voice and video calls on its Messenger
app, a technology widely used on its
WhatsApp platform, part of a move to
give users more security. In a blog, Ruth
Kricheli, director of product management
of Messenger, explained it was deploying
the encryption option after seeing a surge
in the use of audio and video on Messenger,
with more 150 million video calls now
made daily. Kricheli said the encryption
feature was optional and gave users more
control over how private they want their
calls and chats to be. Facebook has offered
end-to-end encryption on one-to-one text
chats since 2016, as well as on WhatsApp,
“to keep personal conversations safe
from hackers and criminals”. Likening the your device to the moment it reaches the messages. In addition, the company rolled
technology to a lock and key, Kricheli said receiver’s device,” she said. “This means out updated controls over Disappearing
end-to-end encryption was becoming the that nobody else, including Facebook, Messages, with its recently launched
industry standard, where only the user and can see or listen to what’s sent or said.” expiring message feature now including a
the people in the chat or call have access. In the coming months, Facebook plans to timer to determine the amount of time one
“The content of your messages and calls test end-to-end encryption in Messenger has access to the content, ranging from
in an end-to-end encrypted conversation group chats and for Instagram direct five seconds to 24 hours.
is protected from the moment it leaves

37 JUN-AUG 2021