TTCL Submarine Cables - Digitecharenas

In the modern digital age, submarine cables form the unseen backbone of global connectivity, linking continents and enabling high-speed internet traffic to traverse oceans. In Tanzania, TTCL (Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation Ltd) plays a critical role in leveraging submarine cables via its management of the National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB), connecting domestic network traffic to international undersea fiber systems such as SEACOM and EASSy.

The Role of Submarine Cables and TTCL / NICTBB

Submarine cables are fiber-optic cables laid under the ocean to carry international data traffic. They are crucial because satellite or microwave links alone cannot match the capacity, latency, and reliability of undersea fiber.

In Tanzania:

Tanzania’s NICTBB is connected to major submarine cables like EASSy and SEACOM to deliver international connectivity.
TTCL is the operator and manager of NICTBB on behalf of the government.
When a business or ISP purchases “dedicated internet” or “IP transit” services from TTCL, their traffic is routed through submarine cable paths using redundancy via landing stations in Dar es Salaam.
The government is also expanding NICTBB to reach all districts (the remaining 33 districts as of 2024) to ensure every region is connected to the backbone that links to submarine cables.
TTCL offers cross-connection and backhaul services, enabling ISPs, telecoms, broadcasters, and operators to link to submarine cable capacity via TTCL’s infrastructure.

Thus, submarine cables enhance national and international connectivity, while TTCL/NICTBB serve as the institutional bridge that brings that capability to domestic users and networks.

Services Offered by TTCL & NICTBB

Through its submarine cable–enabled infrastructure and NICTBB, TTCL offers multiple solutions:

Dedicated Internet / IP Transit / Bandwidth
Businesses can get guaranteed bandwidth (from 2 Mbps to hundreds of Gbps) with low latency, given direct access to submarine routes.
MPLS / VPN / Carrier Solutions
- TTCL offers MPLS VPN networks for enterprises with resilience, redundancy, and scalable bandwidth.
- They provide carrier services, voice transit, cross-connect, interconnect, backhaul, and international transit solutions.
Fiber-to-home / T-Fiber Broadband for homes
For residential users, TTCL offers T-Fiber broadband packages (shared speeds) with different tiers.
TTCL T-PESA (Mobile / Digital Money Service)
TTCL runs a mobile money / digital wallet service called T-PESA. Through this service users can send money, receive from diaspora, pay bills, withdraw cash via agents, etc.
Cross-connect and interconnect services
TTCL provides interconnection services between operators, national traffic interconnect, cross-connects to submarine cable landing stations, and local operator to operator links.
VoIP / Toll-free / Conferencing
In its enterprise portfolio, TTCL also offers conferencing (audio, video, web), toll-free (0800) voice services, and voice carrier / termination services.

These services together enable TTCL to act as a “carrier of carriers,” providing the plumbing for domestic and international data, voice, and financial flows.