AFRICA - Two optical fibre cable projects will connect Africa with the rest of the world by 2010, the year of the World Football Championship in South Africa

Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) - This month the East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy, see Fides 30/10/2007), will work on the construction an optical fibre cable destined to become the supporting axis of telecommunications in southern and east Africa.
The African Development Bank has approved the outlay of the initial funds to start work. The 235 million dollar project is sponsored by 25 telecommunications companies most of which are African. EASSy aims to build 10,000 km of underwater optical fibre cable to connect South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti and Sudan. A second land-segment will connect 13 other countries: Botswana, Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia e Zimbabwe.
By 2010, EASSy will offer 250 million Africans access to a low cost medium speed connection to the Internet.
Another important initiative in this field has been launched by NEPAD (New Partnership for African Development, see Fides 28/10/2003). UHURUNET, an underwater cable to connect with a high speed digital line the whole of Africa to Europe, Brazil, India and the Middle East. The name comes from Uhuru “freedom, independence" in Swahili . A land segment to connect countries with no access to the sea will be called UMOJANET, from Umoja (“unity”). This infrastructure too, created with the participation of a Delaware company in the United States, should be ready by 2010, in time for the World Football Championship in South Africa. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 5/12/2007 righe 23 parole 256)