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West Africa Cable System ‘completed’
22 February 2012
Report says Alcatel-Lucent completes laying of submarine cable from South Africa along west African coast
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Construction of the West Africa Cable System has been completed, according to reports from Africa. Alcatel-Lucent won the contract in April 2009 to lay the cable from South Africa along the west coast of Africa to Portugal and the UK in Europe.
The cable is due to launch in May 2012, said an official at the Ministry for Transport and Communication in Botswana, one of the 15 African countries that are part of the project. Botswana is connected via the coastal state of Namibia, with each contributing to the $600 million project.
Amangwe Madisakwana, spokesperson for the Botswana ministry, said: “The undersea cable system will provide high speed and reliable connectivity in the 15 African countries that are part of WACS, pushing them to the level of the developed countries of the north. The economies of today are largely driven by internet and other ICT connections, which are enablers of faster global connectivity.”
Operators taking part in the project include MTN, Telkom South Africa, Vodacom, Tata’s Neotel, CWW and Gateway Communications. GTB
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