For the first time, Somalia is connected to its neighbors and the rest of the world by fiber optics and undersea cables, ITNewsAfrica reports.

The new fiber link, built by Liquid Telcom Group, connects across the Kenya-Somalia border into the fiber network of Hormuud Telecom Somalia Inc., Liquid Telcom announced today.

Hormuud Telecom’s fiber network will connect Liquid Telecom’s customers – fixed and mobile operators, wholesale carriers and enterprises – in Southern and Central Somalia.

Hormuud Telecom’s customers will now have access to Liquid Telecom’s pan-African fiber network which spans more than 17,000 kilometers across Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It also provides connectivity onto the five main subsea cable systems landing in Africa: WACS, EASSY, SEACOM, SAT3 and TEAMs.

Liquid Telecom is the first wholesale carrier to connect the East African capitals of Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Kampala and Kigali on a single fiber network, ITNewsAfrica reports.

“We will be providing the people of Somalia with access to the global Internet,” said Nic Rudnick, CEO of Liquid Telecom. “Our goal is to connect every person and business in Africa to the Internet and to each other. We are an agile and entrepreneurial company which is investing heavily in building our pan-African fiber network.”

The Hormuud Telecom-Liquid Telecom connection is a landmark event for Somalia, said Hormuud CEO Ahmed Yuusuf.