JOHANNESBURG , South Africa ( CNN ) -- The SEACOM cable being promoted as a computer lifeline for Africa will contribute to social upliftment but not immediately , a telecommunications analyst says . Seacom cable in the Red Sea . James Hodge , who specializes in competition and regulation , says initially SEACOM will predominantly benefit those already connected . Hodge said it will not initially change the lives of those poor people , sitting in the rural areas without lights or electricity . He added that because of the competitive climate surrounding SEACOM , it will lead to cheaper connectivity , making the Internet more affordable for more people . And that will contribute to social upliftment in the long-term , Hodge says . SEACOM plans to provide African customers with access to inexpensive bandwidth via 15,000 kilometers of undersea fiber-optic cables . SEACOM is the first cable supplying east Africa , which until now has been reliant on satellite connections . Hodge pointed out people in South Africa have already benefited . Service providers have reacted to the imminent arrival of the SEACOM cable by adjusting their prices , and more cuts are seen , as the local providers respond to the increased competition , he said . SEACOM is owned by a lot of divergent companies , all competing amongst each other . Strong competition within the cable itself should drive prices down and avoid any price collusion among the various providers , Hodge said . He added that would please the cynical South African consumer and help liberalize South Africa 's communications industry , long seen as lagging behind everyone else in connectivity due to lack of competition . CNN Diane McCarthy contributed to the report .
Analyst says the cable will help social development in Africa in the long - term . James Hodge says it will help drive down electricity connection costs . China is also supplying Africa with inexpensive electricity via undersea cables .