WCA July 2012

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Industrynews
Wire & Cable ASIA – July/August 2012 15
Kenya’s information technology
sector has received a boost with the
entry of its fourth undersea fibre optic
cable, the Lower Indian Ocean
Network (LION2). Telkom Kenya
announced that the submarine cable it
has been laying through its parent firm,
France Telecom, has gone live.
LION2 submarine cable is a 2,700km
long extension of the initial Lower
Indian Ocean Network connecting
Madagascar to the rest of the world.
The cable extends from Mayotte, an
island off the Indian Ocean Coast, to
Nyali in Mombasa. It links East Africa
to Madagascar, Mayotte and Réunion
Island, providing an opportunity for
increased international traffic through
Kenya which further strengthens the
country’s positioning as a regional
communication hub.
Telkom Kenya’s CEO, Mickael
Ghossein, said the cable will currently
offer a maximum capacity of 1.28
Tbps, and in future, this capacity can
be increased without additional
submarine work.
Investment in the new cable began in
the fourth quarter of 2010, with key
shareholders being France
Telecom-Orange, Telkom Kenya,
Mauritius Telecom and Orange
Madagascar, as well as carrier
companies Emtel Ltd and Société
Réunionnaise du Radiotéléphone.
Telkom Kenya – Kenya
Website:
Fourth cable goes
live in Kenya New joint venture
Tata Power and South Africa’s
Exxaro Resources have launched a
50:50 joint venture – Cennergi (Pty)
Ltd – to focus on developing
electricity generation projects in the
expanding energy markets of South
Africa, Namibia and Botswana.
Cennergi marks a major overseas
foray for Tata Power, India’s largest
private power generator.
South Africa-based Cennergi will
focus on investigation of feasibility,
development, ownership, operation,
maintenance, acquisition and
management of generation projects.
Tata Power – India
Website:
Exxaro – South Africa
Website: