UK telecoms group BT will provide Seacom – which claims to own Africa’s most extensive ICT data infrastructure – services to secure its own infrastructure and deliver new enterprise services.

As well as helping ICT provider Seacom secure its own infrastructure, BT will provide the firm with ‘services, vendor relationships and global expertise’ – such as its Cloud Security Incident Event Management (SIEM) platform –  that will enable it to expand its enterprise offering with  new networking, security and communications solutions to enterprise customers in Africa.

“We’re excited to form this strategic alliance with BT and see the combined value of what we bring to our respective markets,” said Oliver Fortuin, Group Chief Executive Officer of Seacom. “With Seacom’s global network and local presence, and BT’s global reach and expertise, we will be able to deliver a comprehensive portfolio of Cloud, security, and connectivity services that are reliable, scalable, and at the cutting-edge of industry.”

Alessandro Adriani, director of system integrators and telecom service providers at BT’s Global unit added: “We are thrilled to deliver BT’s world-class solutions to Seacom and to their customers across the African continent. The areas of secure multi-cloud connectivity, next-generation networking solutions and collaboration services are the sweet spot where Seacom and BT will combine their respective strengths.”

Seacom claims to own Africa’s most extensive ICT data infrastructure, which includes multiple subsea cables, a continent-wide IP-MPLS network, and fibre in various African cities. It launched Africa’s first broadband submarine cable system along the eastern and southern coasts in 2009, and today provides services to businesses, network carriers, and service providers across the continent.

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