The US$600 million cable was expected to largely draw demand for bandwidth from South Africa, with less interest coming from the rest of the eastern and southern Africa region, said Seacom CEO Brian Herlihy.

"We have found out that there is a lot of demand coming from East Africa and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) region," Herlihy said at a meeting to update stakeholders on the progress of the cable.

The Seacom cable lands in June, ahead of the East African Marine System (TEAMS) cable, while the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSY) has been pushed to June 2010.

Herlihy also touched on Seacom's pricing structure, saying the company will give retailers open access to cheaper bandwidth.

Seacom's business philosophy, he said, will be low-cost, high-volume supply of bandwidth.