Rwandatel last week officially launched the connection of its Internet services to the international fiber optic network.

The launch follows an agreement in August between Rwandatel and Seacom, which in June had connected its submarine fiber optic cable in Mombasa. The agreement means that Rwandatel will be able to benefit from the fastest internet speeds in the region.

Slow Internet connection has long been a problem in the country (and the region), and has especially hampered the business community and made it difficult to carry out online transactions, downloading and access other web-based services. Yet other sectors also stand to benefit from faster connections, such as education in the form of e-learning, which will probably be more widespread, accessible and less costly.

According to Rwandatel's CEO, Patrick Kariningufu, this is a turning point for Rwanda. He also remarked that fast Internet would give a big boost to the education sector.

"As a company, Rwandatel is firmly committed to advancing quality person-to-person and person-to-community network through this technology. This will increase the capacity of the connectivity between Rwanda and the world; you can now reach Kampala, Mombasa, the US, London, etc. in the shortest time possible," he said.

He further pointed out that high-capacity Internet will allow Rwandatel's customers delay-free voice and video services. It also means that the company will be able to deliver high-speed services to a growing number of corporate and individual clients without experiencing capacity problems.