wiredinUSA August 2012

Chris Wood, WIOCC CEO

Connectivity in Lesotho

Kuwait order

Submarine cable consortium WIOCC is delivering Internet connectivity to businesses, institutions and consumers in Lesotho. WIOCC will use terrestrial and submarine fiber-optic cable network for Internet connectivity. Its arrival has already enabled a reduction in pricing of Internet services by up to 67 percent. This is supporting the Lesotho Government’s 8 th Millennium Goal to make new technologies available to its citizens and organizations. Educational institutions, such as the National University of Lesotho, are already benefitting, with Basotho students able to access web-based resources.

LS Cable & System has won a 400kV extra- high voltage cable project worth $110 million from the Kuwaiti Ministry of Electricity and Water. The company will supply and install 400kV extra-high voltage conductor with insulated cables and connectors on a turnkey basis. Kuwait is currently building a new town on its border with Saudi Arabia named Sabah Al Ahmad. This is the second contract LS Cable & System has won from the Ministry of Electricity and Water of Kuwait following a similar contract worth $107 million won last spring. Unlike ordinary extra-high voltage cable using pure copper for the conductor, the conductor with insulated cables to be installed at Sabah Al Ahmad will comprise conductors coated with enamel to reduce transmission resistance. This technique is said to raise transmission capacity by over 20%. With this type of conductor the overall weight and thickness of the cable can be reduced, greatly reducing the cost of cable manufacturing and power grid implementation.

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wiredInUSA - August 2012