African fibre-optic cable on track
24 January 2006
The Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System, a 9 900km-long undersea fibre-optic cable between South Africa and Sudan, will be online by the end of 2007.
This was confirmed by project co-ordinator John Sihra, delivering a progress report in Johannesburg on Monday.
Top priority
The US$200-million cable, known as EASSy, will run from Mtunzini, just north of Durban to Port Sudan, and will considerably enhance capacity for telecommunications within, from and to Africa.
A top-priority project of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), it will be the last link in a high-capacity fibre-optic telecommunications network that will completely encircle Africa.
The project was delayed for about a year, but was now back on track, Sihra said.
EASSy will make landings in six countries along the eastern coast of the continent, as well as provide improved connectivity for five more landlocked
countries.
Improving access
"Africa needs this baby to be born," said Sentech CEO Sebiletso Mokone-Matabane. South Africa's Sentech, as well as state telecoms company Telkom, are backers of the project.
According to Business Day, the cable will lower the cost of connectivity and improve the region's access to high-speed bandwidth. Many of the countries that EASSy will service are currently forced to use expensive satellite data transmission.
The project was initiated in 2003, when Telkom and a number of other companies first investigated its feasibility.
Although the World Bank, Development Bank of Southern Africa, African Development Bank and various governments have all pledged financial support for EASSy, the details of the project's funding have yet to be finalised.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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