Ubwato 'bw'intwari' butabara aho internet yacitse muri Afurika – BBC yarabusuye

Ubwato bungana n'ikibuga cy'umupira w'amaguru, kirimo ba enjeniyeri barenga 50 n'abatekinisiye, bugenda buzunguruka Afurika kugira ngo uyu mugabane ukomeze kuba ufite internet.

Butanga serivisi y'ingenzi cyane, ukurikije ingaruka z'icika rya internet umwaka ushize ubwo imigozi (cables) yo hasi mu nyanja yangirikaga.

Icyo gihe, miliyoni z'abantu kuva i Lagos kugera i Nairobi babuze internet; imbuga zo kwandikiranaho zirapfa no gukoresha za banki biranga. Byashyize benshi mu bibazo.

Ubwato Léon Thévenin ni bwo bwasannye imigozi yari yangiritse. Ubu bwato, aho itsinda rya BBC riherutse kubumaramo icyumweru ku nyanja yo ku mwaro wa Ghana, bumaze amezi 13 bukora aka kazi.

"Kubera njyewe, ibihugu bikomeza kugira internet", ni ko Shuru Arendse ukomoka muri Afurika y'Epfo umaze imyaka irenga 10 kuri ubu bwato akora akazi ko guhuza imigozi yabwiye BBC.

Yongeraho ati: "Hari intwari zirokora ubuzima – njye ndi intwari kuko ndokora itumanaho."

Ishema n'urukundo rw'akazi bye bigaragaraza uko n'abandi bakozi kuri Léon Thévenin biyumva, kuri ubu bwato bw'amagorofa umunani bwuzuye urusobe rw'ibikoresho.

Internet ni ihuriro rigari rihuza 'servers' (wagereranya n'ububiko ugenekereje mu Kinyarwanda) za mudasobwa nyinshi – kugira ngo usome iyi nkuru ni uko nibura umwe mu migozi 600 ya 'fibre optic cables' izenguruka isi wafashe amakuru (data) ukayageza kuri 'screen/tableau' yawe.

Nyinshi muri izi 'servers' ziherereye mu bigo bibika amakuru y'ikoranabuhanga bizwi nka 'data centres' biri hanze ya Afurika, imigozi ya 'fibre optic cables' iri hasi mu nyanja ihuza izo 'data centres' n'imijyi iri ku nkengero z'inyanja kuri uyu mugabane.

Maze ayo amakuru (data) akagendera mu migozi mito, kenshi iba iri hamwe ari ibiri, iva ku mijyi iri ku mwaro yerekeza imbere mu yindi mijyi n'abayituye bari ku mugabane.

"Igihe cyose 'servers' zitari mu gihugu , uba ukeneye 'connection'. Umugozi uva mu gihugu ujya mu kindi, uhuza abakoresha internet na 'servers' zibika amakuru (data) yabo n'ayo bakeneye – yaba ari ukujya kuri Facebook cyangwa indi serivisi ya online", ni ibivugwa na Benjamin Smith, wungirije ukuriye ubutumwa bwa Léon Thévenin.

Imigozi ya 'fibre optic cables' ikoze ku buryo yakora imyaka 25 itangiritse cyane, iyo yangiritse akenshi biba biturutse ku bikorwa by'umuntu.

"Muri rusange iyi migozi nticika ubwayo kereka iri ahantu hari imiraba ikomeye cyane n'ibibuye bityaye," biravugwa na Charles Heald, ushinzwe gukoresha ikinyabiziga cy'ubu kizwi nka remotely operated vehicle (ROV).

Yongeraho ati: "Ariko kenshi ni abantu bahagarika amato aho bidakwiye cyangwa se abarobyi rimwe na rimwe baharagata ku ndiba y'inyanja, akenshi tubona bene ibi".

Smith avuga ko n'ibiza ubwabyo bijya biteza kwangirika kw'iyi migozi, cyane mu bice by'uyu mugabane bigira ikirere kibi bikabije. Atanga urugero rw'inyanja yo ku mwaro wa DR Congo, aho Uruzi Congo rwisuka mu nyanja ya Atlantika.

Ati: "Mu mukoki w'Uruzi Congo [aho rwisuka mu nyanja], aho bagira imvura nyinshi n'inyanja iri hasi, bishobora gutera imiraba yakwangiza umugozi."

Kumenya abayangije nkana biragoye – ariko abakozi ba Léon Thévenin bavuga ko ubwabo batarabona ibimenyetso ntakuka by'ibikorwa nk'ibyo.

Umwaka ushize, imigozi itatu y'ingenzi mu nyanja Itukura - Seacom, AAE-1 na EIG – yangijwe n'icyuma gifasha ubwato guhagarara ku mwaro, bihungabanya internet kuri miliyoni z'abayikoresha muri Afurika y'Iburasirazuba, harimo Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda na Mozambique.

Hashize ukwezi ibyo bibaye, muri Werurwe(3) 2024, habaye ukundi kwangirika ku migozi ya Wacs, Ace, Sat-3 na MainOne ku mwaro wo kuri Afurika y'iburengerazuba bitera gucika kwa internet muri Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire na Liberia.

Ikintu cyose cyasabaga internet cyarazahaye mu gihe ibikorwa byo gusana iyo migozi byafashe ibyumweru.

Muri Gicurasi(5), habaye akandi kaga: imigozi ya Seacom na Eassy yarangiritse ku mwaro wa Afurika y'Epfo, bihungabanya internet mu bihugu byo mu majyepfo ya Afurika.

Uko kwangirika kubonwa iyo bapimye urugero rw'amashanyarazi n'imbaraga za 'signal' zigera mu migozi.

Loic Wallerrand, ukuriye ubutumwa bw'ubu bwato, ati: "Umugozi ushobora kuba ufite volts 3,000 maze ukajya kubona ukabona urimo volts 50 gusa, ibi bihita bitubwira ko hari ikibazo."

Mu bihugu biri ku nyanja haba hari amatsinda afite ubushobozi bwo gukemura ibi bibazo ahari amazi magufi, ariko iyo ibyo bibazo bibonetse mu bujyakuzimu burenze metero 50, ubu bwato buritabazwa. Abakozi babwo bashobora gusana imigozi iri hasi mu nyanja kugera kuri 5,000m.

Gusana BBC yakurikiranye ku mwaro wa Ghana kwafashe icyumweru kirenga ngo kurangire, ariko abakoresha internet benshi ntibabimenye kuko 'data' bakenera zoherejwe ku wundi mugozi wakoraga.

Imiterere ya buri gusana iterwa n'igice cy'umugozi cyangiritse.

Iyo umugozi wangiritse bikomeye, bivuga ko 'data' zidashobora kuwucamo bityo ziba zigomba koherezwa ku wundi mugozi udafite ikibazo.

Ariko ibihugu bimwe bya Afurika bifite umugozi umwe gusa ubigaburira. Ibi bivuze ko uwo mugozi wangiritse bikomeye agace kose uha internet gahita kayibura.

Hari n'ubwo uruhu rwa plastic cyangwa 'copper' ruzengurutse kandi rurinda umugozi ari rwo rwangirika, bivuze ko 'data' zikomeza kugenda ariko zikagenda nabi. Aha na ho bisaba ko abakozi basana bamenya neza neza agace kangiritse kugira ngo bajye kugasana.

Iyo habayeho kwangirika, umugozi wohereza ku babishinzwe urumuri rubigaragaza, maze bakamenya umugozi wangiritse n'aho wangirikiye.

Iyo habayeho gucika k'umugozi, aha birushaho kugorana, bisaba aba bahanga kohereza amashanyarazi mu mugozi kugira ngo babashe kumenya neza ahantu arimo kugarukira kuko ari ho haba hari ikibazo.

Ikinyabiziga kigenda hasi mu nyanja

Nyuma yo gukurikirana bakamenya ahantu habereye ikibazo, ibikorwa bikurikira bikorwa n'itsinda rikoreshacya kinyabiziga ROV.

Ni ikinyabigiza cyubatse nka tingatinga (bulldozer) gipima toni hafi 10, kimanurwa hasi mu nyanja kivuye muri ubu bwato ari naho kigenzurirwa.

Abakozi bagera kuri batanu nibo bagikoresha.

Heald asobanura uko gikora ati: "Uretse kujya hasi mu nyanja gikoresha ibyuma bishobora gutambika mu byerekezo byose".

Iyi ROV ifite camera eshatu zituma abayikoresha babona neza ahantu hari ikibazo mu gihe ibyuma by'iyi ROV bizigejeje hasi kandi zirimo kugenda ku ndiba y'inyanja.

Iyo camera zibonye ahari ikibazo, ROV ikata agace kangiritse ikoresheje 'amaboko' yayo abiri, maze ako gace kakazamurwa kuri bwa bwato. Ako gace kavanwaho kagasimbuzwa bahuza ibice bizima by'uwo mugozi, igikorwa gisa no gusudira cyamaze amasaha 24, icyo BBC yakurikiranye.

Nyuma y'ibyo, cya gice cyasanwe cyongera kururutswa neza hasi ku ndiba y'inyanja maze ROV igasubira kugenzura niba icyo gice cy'umugozi cyageze neza aho kigomba kuba kiri, igatanga raporo.

Iyo ubu bwato bwakiriye ubutumwa ko hari umugozi wangiritse, Léon Thévenin n'abakozi bayo baba biteguye guhita bahaguruka bakagenda mu masaha 24. Gusa, igihe ubutabazi bwabo bufata kiva ku bintu byinshi: aho ubwato buherereye, kuba hari imigozi yo gusimbuza n'ibigendanye n'inyandiko z'abategetsi.

Wallerand ati: "Uburenganzira bushobora gufata ibyumweru. Rimwe na rimwe tujya ku mwaro w'igihugu gifite ikibazo tugategerereza ku mwaro ko iby'ibyangombwa bitungana".

Ku kigereranyo rusange, buri mwaka abakozi b'ubu bwato bamara amezi atandatu bari mu nyanja.

Captain Thomas Quehec ati: "Biri mu bigize aka kazi".

Ariko iyo uganira n'aba bakozi mu gihe cy'akaruhuko, biragoye kutabona ubwitange bwite bwa buri umwe muri bo.

Bafite amateka atandukanye kandi bava mu bihugu bitandukanye: Ubufaransa, Afurika y'epfo, Madagascar n'ahandi.

Adrian Morgan, umukozi ushinzwe abandi kuri ubu bwato uva muri Afurika y'Epfo, amaze gusiba inshuro eshanu isabukuru yo gushinga urugo rwe.

Ati: "Nashatse kuva kuri aka kazi. Byari bigoye kuba kure y'umuryango wanjye, ariko umugore wanjye yanteye akanyabugabo. Mbikorera bo".

Noel Goeieman, undi mugabo wo muri Afurika y'epfo, ushinzwe gusana, afite impungenge ko atazitabira ubukwe bw'umuhungu we buzaba mu byumweru bicye mu gihe ubu bwato bwahamagarwa mu butumwa.

Uyu mugabo wapfushije umugore mu myaka itatu ishize, ati: "Numvise ko dushobora kujya i Durban [muri Afurika yEpfo]. Umuhungu wanjye azababara cyane kuko nta nyina afite". Aseka, yongeraho ati: "Ariko mu mezi atandatu nzajya mu kiruhuko cy'izabukuru".

Nubwo aka kazi kagora amarangamutima yabo, mu bwato haba hari ubucuti.

Iyo batari mu kazi, aba bakozi baba bakina za 'video-games' mu ruganiriro cyangwa basangira amafunguro.

Ukwinjira kwabo muri uyu mwuga kuratandukanye kimwe n'amateka yabo.

Mu gihe Noel Goeieman yakajemo atera ikirenge mu cya se, Remario Smith ukuriye abatetsi yakajemo ahunga ubuzima bw'ubugizi bwa nabi.

Smith ati: "Nkiri muto nari mu matsinda y'abagizi ba nabi (gangs). Umwana wanjye yavutse ubwo nari mfite imyaka 25, nibwo namenye ko ngomba guhindura ubuzima".

Kimwe n'abandi kuri ubu bwato yishimira akamaro ubu bwato bufitiye umugabane wa Afurika.

Ferron Hartzenberg ukuriye ba enjeniyeri hano ati: "Turi ikiraro hagati ya Afurika n'isi".