Fiber optics, however, have not yet brought down costs significantly, industry and government insiders note.
"We witnessed the landing of both TEAMS and SEACOM cables, and though both are operational stakeholders, the public is yet to experience any remarkable changes in the pricing of bandwidth as had been expected," said Samuel Poghisio, Kenya's information and communication minister, in a statement. Poghisio said that the government expects EASSY, when operational, to create a competitive environment where bandwidth prices will fall, so that service providers pass the benefit onto users.
Chris Wood, the chief executive of WIOCC, the EASSY investment vehicle, said his company was delighted to be partnering with Telkom Kenya in delivering an improved online experience to consumers in Kenya.
Wood said that several organizations are interested in securing direct connectivity to key Internet exchanges in Europe and the U.S.
"We can confidently assure the stakeholders that we will be able to meet such demands in Kenya and other African countries, including landlocked countries," Wood said. "We are happy with the progress being made on the vital construction phase of EASSY."
He said the project continues to run as planned, with nearly 70 percent of the cable now laid in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
"We expect to start testing the system at the end of April 2010, in readiness for the System Ready for Service date on 30th June 2010," Wood said.
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Secretary General Hamadoun Toure said the landing of EASSY was timely, as it will enhance the telecommunications development in Africa, positioning Africa at par with other developed nations.
He said he was optimistic that the Internet connection costs would drastically come down, with increased competition in tandem with international trends.
"If this does not happen, then there is a big problem in regulation, which must be addressed to ensure fair competition," Toure said.
In June last year when the SEACOM fiber-optic cable went live; followed later by the TEAMS cable, Internet users expected a drop in prices, not to mention the super speeds that were promised, but this largely has not been the case.
Internet service prices have remained more or less the same while the speeds and efficiency have barely improved.
The director general of Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), Charles Njoroge, said he believed that the industry would self-regulate, with consumer demand and market forces determining the price.
He, however, was quick to add that the commission will keenly keep an eye to ensure a level playing field, where the user will be the end benefactor.
Mombasa is the fifth landing for the cable, having already landed in Sudan, Djibouti, Mozambique and South Africa.