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wiredInUSA - June 2013
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AMEinfo reports that Etisalat, a leading
telecom operator in the Middle East
and Africa, has announced a strategic
partnership in the construction of the Bay
of Bengal (BBG) submarine fiber optic
cable. Other major operators involved
are Telekom Malaysia Berhad (Malaysia),
Vodafone Group (UK), Omantel (Oman),
Reliance JioInfocomm Limited (India) and
Dialog Axiata (Sri Lanka).
"Etisalat's Smarthub is the strategic
terminal point for Bay of Bengal (BBG)
cable. This reaffirms UAE's position as the
telecommunication hub in the region. We
are delighted to be part of this consortium
that will enhance our already robust
intercontinental capacity to support
our customers growing high speed data
requirements," said Ali Amiri, executive vice
president, carrier and wholesale services,
Etisalat.
The construction of BBG will provide
connectivity between the Middle East,
south east Asia and south Asia, and is a
clear indication of the growing demand for
bandwidth in the participating countries.
The 8,000km cable will provide upgradable
and transmission facilities using 100Gbps
technology. The system is expected to
carry commercial traffic by the end of
2014.
Intercontinental cable
Executives of the PTA Bank have confirmed
their approval of a $11.5 million loan for
Burundi Backbone SystemsCompany (BBS)
to build a national fiber optic network.
The 13,000km fiber optic project will cover
the capital, Bujumbura, 17 provinces
and the country’s borders with Rwanda
and Tanzania, connecting the country to
international fiber optic cables for the first
time.
Burundi will rely heavily on the Rwandan
and Tanzanian infrastructure. Rwanda
has already completed laying its 2,300km
national backbone, while Tanzania is still
working on a 10,000km fiber infrastructure.
The World Bank initiated the project in late
2008 with a funding of about $10.5 million.
The East African states are jointly investing
$400 million in terrestrial fiber optics for
backbone cables that, when complete,
will provide a vast network for Internet
connectivity covering over 15,600km.
Fiber funds for Burundi