At the AfricaCom conference in Cape Town last month, it was apparent that major operators across the continent are looking more to data and other value-added services to stimulate future expansion. But the prospects for data services in Africa rest in part on the promise that the new submarine cables that are arriving on the shores of the continent will both improve the availability of international bandwidth and reduce its cost.

Belgacom’s International Carrier Services (ICS) division has extended its long standing partnership with pan-African carrier MTN, with the combination of the two firms ICS units and MTN’s acquisition of a stake in Belgacom ICS.