1893 – 1953
The Cable Years
Submarine telegraph cables and HF radio links bring Seychelles onto the global network for the first time.
Our History
From the first telegraph cable in 1893 to today — over 130 years of connecting Seychelles to the world
A century and a half of firsts
Telegraph cables, satellite, mobile, fibre, 5G — and 100% local since 2019. Each chapter shaped how Seychelles communicates.
1954 – 1999
Telephone & Mobile
The national telephone system, satellite links, telex, telefax, and the dawn of GSM transform daily life.
2000 – Today
Internet, Fibre & 5G
Broadband, IPTV, fibre to the home, LTE, locally-owned operations since 2019, and 5G in 2020.
Timeline of milestones
- 1893Telegraph
A telegraph cable links Zanzibar, Seychelles, and Mauritius
The Eastern and South African Telegraph Company (CWS's ancestor) was granted a contract on 29 March to lay a telegraph cable connecting Zanzibar to Seychelles to Mauritius. Seychelles was on the global network for the first time.
- 1908Cable
First Seychellois cable operators
By 1902 the Seychelles telegraph station had become an important Indian Ocean cable relay. In 1908, the first group of Seychellois cable operators were employed.
- 1922Cable
A second cable: Aden to Colombo via Seychelles
A new cable from Aden to Colombo (Ceylon) routed via Seychelles, further integrating the islands into the Eastern Telegraph Company's international network.
- 1935Radio
Ship-to-shore wireless and radio
Cable & Wireless took over the ship-to-shore wireless system from the Seychelles government and was licensed to operate further radio systems.
- 1943Broadcast
The first broadcast in Seychelles
On 14 June, CWS carried the first public broadcast in Seychelles when the Governor addressed a parade on Gordon Square via the Eastern Telegraph "Colset" TFS12 transmitter.
- 1954Telephone
A national telephone system
Following a 1953 agreement between the Seychelles government and Cable & Wireless Ltd., the National Telephone System was inaugurated.
- 1967Radio
HF radio links via Nairobi
High-frequency radio links via Nairobi went live, beginning the gradual replacement of submarine telegraph cables around the world.
- 1968Cable
The 1922 Aden cable retired
The Aden-to-Colombo telegraph cable that had served Seychelles since 1922 was abandoned on 31 October after 46 years of service.
- 1971Cable
The last submarine telegraph cable retires
After successful HF radio links via Nairobi and Bahrain, the final submarine telegraph cable was abandoned on 22 May, ending 78 years of cable-based telegraphy.
- 1972 – 1974Telephone
Automatic telephone exchanges
Larger automatic exchanges were installed on Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue, expanding the telephone system across the main islands.
- 1978Digital
Customer-dialled telex
An automatic customer-dialled telex service launched, providing essential connectivity for the business and government sectors.
- 1983 – 1986Digital
The telephone system goes digital
A new digital switch made it possible to introduce International Direct Dialling to 75 countries.
- 1985Digital
Telefax service
The need to transmit documents rapidly across great distances led to the introduction of telefax, transforming how Seychelles and the world conducted business.
- 1989Telephone
Phone cards arrive
A phone card service launched on Mahé with nine card-only public booths, expanding to Praslin, La Digue, and the outer islands as it grew popular with residents and visitors.
- 1991Satellite
DOMSAT brings the outer islands online
In June, the DOMSAT system was inaugurated, bringing Coetivy and Desroches into the national network via satellite — replacing the old crackly HF radio links.
- 1995Mobile
GSM — the dawn of mobile
A GSM network with fax and data was introduced for the first time in Seychelles, marking the start of the mobile era.
- 1996Digital
Customer Information System
CWS introduced an intelligent CIS that revolutionised internal operations — improving functionality, reliability, and communication.
- 2002Mobile
SMS launches in Seychelles
Short Message Service launched, again revolutionising how people communicated within Seychelles and with the world.
- 2003Internet
Cable eBill and eDirectory
The first online services gave customers access to billing information and directory listings.
- 2005Milestone
CWS Foundation established
In March, the Cable & Wireless Seychelles Foundation was launched to support local community programs and respond to local needs.
- 2006Mobile
MMS and mobile internet
In April, CWS became the first mobile operator in Seychelles to introduce a state-of-the-art network supporting Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) and mobile internet.
- 2008Mobile
BlackBerry® arrives
CWS unveiled the world-leading wireless BlackBerry® solution, putting a suite of business applications in professionals' hands.
- 2010Internet
iSurf prepaid wireless internet
Prepaid wireless internet went live, allowing wireless access from laptops, mobiles, BlackBerries, and PDAs.
- 2011Mobile
3G+ mobile network
As part of CWS's core network modernisation, the 3G+ rollout was completed across Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue.
- 2012Fibre
Submarine fibre to Dar es Salaam
Seychelles connected to Dar es Salaam via a high-speed fibre-optic submarine cable. CWS was the largest local investor in the project.
- 2013Milestone
120 years of service
CWS celebrated 120 years in Seychelles as the country's leading telecommunications provider — fixed, mobile, and internet.
- 2014Internet
eShop launches
CWS introduced eShop, becoming the first major utility in Seychelles to offer online payments.
- 2015TV
CWS TV — quad-play
CWS became the first quad-play provider in Seychelles with the launch of CWS TV (IPTV — TV over the internet protocol network).
- 2016Fibre
Fibre to the Home + sinéma X
Major rollout of Fibre to the Home began. CWS also added sinéma X, a video-on-demand service, to its TV offering.
- 2017Mobile
LTE, Mobile TV, and a London loyalty award
CWS won its first loyalty award in London for the "Save the Turtles" campaign. Mobile TV launched as another national first, and the mobile network was upgraded to LTE.
- 2018Milestone
125 years — and a second loyalty award
CWS celebrated 125 years in operation and won its second consecutive loyalty award in London for the "Help to Hear" campaign.
- 2019Milestone
100% locally owned
In November, a group of Seychellois investors purchased CWS from Liberty Latin America — making one of Seychelles' largest companies fully local.
- 2020Mobile
5G — a national first
CWS launched the first and only 5G network in Seychelles.
- 2022Milestone
New leadership
Mr. D'Offay was welcomed as Chief Executive Officer on 21 February, bringing visionary leadership for the next chapter.
- 2023Milestone
130 years of service
CWS commemorated 130 years of unwavering service. The year delivered transformative initiatives — enhanced Data Boosters, refreshed Mobile Postpaid packages, 5G Unlimited postpaid plans, and three new Unlimited Wireless Broadband packages — keeping CWS at the front of Seychelles telecom.
100% Seychellois since 2019
A group of Seychellois investors purchased Cable & Wireless Seychelles from Liberty Latin America in November 2019, returning one of the country's largest companies to local ownership. Decisions, investment, and revenue stay in Seychelles — building the network the next 130 years deserves.