High-speed fiber route goes live to link Uganda with coastal cables

KAMPALA, Uganda — A new high-speed fiber optic route has gone live to link Uganda directly with global subsea cables on the Kenyan coast, promising more resilient and faster internet for the region’s enterprises.

The 2,000-kilometer Goma-to-Mombasa (G2M) network, activated by Paratus Group, connects the coastal hub of Mombasa to Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The terrestrial line runs through Nairobi, Kampala and Kigali, providing direct interconnections into major data centers in each city.

In Uganda, the project is supported by a partnership with Roke Telkom. This collaboration ensures that Ugandan businesses and service providers have a protected, high-capacity link to international networks, reducing reliance on less stable connections.

Martin Cox, chief commercial officer of Paratus Group, said the route serves as a digital highway that improves performance and reliability for carriers and internet service providers. He noted that the infrastructure is designed to open new commercial opportunities across Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC.

The activation comes as Uganda experiences rapid growth in sectors like fintech, mining and agriculture, all of which require secure, enterprise-grade connectivity. The G2M route offers lower latency and higher capacity, which are critical for companies utilizing cloud services and managed networks.

The new link also integrates with the broader Paratus East-West fiber backbone, which stretches across the continent to the Atlantic coast. This network positioning allows Paratus to offer seamless cross-continental connectivity through a single provider.

Paratus Group, which operates in 16 African countries, aims to provide the digital foundation necessary for modern trade. By linking inland markets like Kampala to subsea cable capacity, the company is facilitating greater digital participation for one of the continent’s fastest-growing regional economies.