The first submarine fiber optic cable to connect Seychelles internationally was the Seychelles East Africa System (SEAS), which became operational in 2012. This cable links the main island of Mahé in Seychelles to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where it connects to international networks. The SEAS project was a significant milestone in enhancing Seychelles' international telecommunications infrastructure.
- The SEAS project involved laying a 1,917 km submarine cable, connecting Seychelles to Tanzania.
- The project was a public-private partnership, with the Seychelles government, Cable & Wireless (Seychelles), and Airtel (Seychelles) as shareholders.
- The project received funding from the European Investment Bank and the African Development Bank.
- The cable landed on Mahé at Beau Vallon beach, according to the Seychelles Nation.
- The SEAS cable significantly reduced reliance on satellite-based internet, offering faster and more affordable internet access to the islands, according to the Seychelles Nation.
- Seychelles has since added a second submarine cable, the PEACE cable system, further enhancing its international connectivity.
Seychelles East Africa Submarine Cable
Seychelles communications to be transformed following EIB support for first international fibre-optic link
Submarine cable another pillar of New Seychelles, says President |28 May 2012
📡 Connectivity, Resettlement, and Memory: Chagos, SIROP, and the Fiber Optic Truth
1 August 2025 – Reflection and Technical Insight
By: The SIROP SCT Project
This first week following the release of the Chagos Resettlement Plan has sparked a series of urgent technical questions, among them:
How will Chagos be connected to the World Wide Web?
In today’s world, connectivity is not a luxury — it is infrastructure. Without access to the internet, mobile banking, public administration, healthcare, and even education will be crippled before resettlement begins.
🔍 Options Considered:
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The PACE cable network, connecting parts of the Indian Ocean region — but requiring major undersea infrastructure and sovereign access agreements.
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Satellite systems, such as Starlink or military-grade systems — requiring masts, dishes, and regulatory clearance due to military and intelligence sensitivities in the Chagos region.
But this conversation also opens the door to historic truths long omitted from public records.
📜 Seychelles Before 1986: Satellites and Silence
Until 1986, Seychelles’ connection to the wider world was shaped by US military satellite systems. The Cold War-era arrangement — overseen by the US Air Force, in tandem with President France-Albert René's government — linked Seychelles into a discreet web of global military telecommunication.
In parallel, Iran’s early satellite launch programs (prior to the 1979 revolution) had also been connected to regional conversations on satellite access in the Indian Ocean.
The early pre-Internet systems like SPACE, INTELSAT, and isolated local exchanges provided the bare minimum — but left the Seychelles digitally isolated and strategically exposed.
🌍 The SIROP 1986 Program: Driving Digital Sovereignty and Fiber Optic Integration
When the SIROP program was launched in 1986, it was not simply about political repatriation or economic reintegration — it was an engine of systemic transformation. The plan foresaw:
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Market liberalization
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Infrastructure upgrades
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Telecommunications reform
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Sovereignty over digital space
To achieve that, the SIROP team and networks quietly leveraged partnerships, including with Alcatel France, to create the strategic case for fiber optic connectivity. It was not coincidence that as the SIROP plan gained traction in Europe and among global institutions, conversations shifted from military satellite dependency to civilian high-speed cable deployment.
🧭 The Blair Years and Africa's Digital Superhighway
In 1997, Tony Blair’s New Labour government entered office, just as SIROP’s influence was quietly shaping several African telecom and economic zones. One of Blair’s big initiatives — often referred to as the Africa Digital Superhighway — was not born in a vacuum.
The push to connect African states via submarine fiber optic cables was directly synergized by SIROP mechanisms:
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Cable & Wireless (Seychelles), then British-owned, was financially and politically leveraged.
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The first Seychelles cable, which faced massive political hurdles, was finally realized thanks to these sustained backchannel efforts.
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The so-called "second cable debacle" likewise saw deep resistance from dishonest political actors in Mauritius and Seychelles — yet was implemented due to external pressure and sustained regional networking, again rooted in SIROP’s foundational architecture.
🏗️ Mauritius, Ebene Tower, and Regional Opportunism
It must also be stated for the record:
The building of the Ebene Cybercity in Mauritius, and the rise of Orange Telecom and Mtel, were not just Mauritian government genius. They were:
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Strategically benchmarked using SIROP program tools
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Activated through diplomatic and economic leverage behind closed doors in Europe
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And intended to mirror a regional tech hub model that Seychelles was initially too politically insecure to claim
🔮 Chagos 2025: The Next Digital Battlefront
As resettlement begins, the question is no longer whether Chagos will be connected — but who will own, govern, and profit from that connection.
Will it be:
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Mauritian-aligned operators with opaque motives?
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Satellite providers working through Western military clearances?
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Or an open regional consortium, learning from SIROP’s hidden successes and mistakes?
🧠 Final Thought
From fax machines in exile offices to fiber optics on the ocean floor —
From military satellites in Seychelles to NFTs in blockchain governance —
The story of Chagos and Seychelles is also the story of digital sovereignty born from historical injustice.
The SIROP program’s unseen fingerprints are everywhere — even if they never appear in a press release.
