17 Phone Companies Sign Up for Europe India Gateway Undersea Cable

Seventeen phone operators including Djibouti Telecom on Tuesday signed in London an agreement to set up the Europe India Gateway undersea cable project.

A Djibouti Telecom official told APA on Thursday that this high tech project, estimated at $700 million and due to link 13 countries over three continents, will help significantly reduce the digital gap.

The laying of the undersea cable, which will cover 18,000 kilometers, will be completed in the second quarter of the year 2010.

It will have gateways in 13 countries including Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, United Kingdom, Portugal, Gibraltar, Morocco, Libya, France, Monaco, Egypt, Oman, Dubai and India.

According to an official of Djibouti Telecom, the company should make a financial contribution of about $31.5 million to the project.

The 17 operators who signed the project are AT&T, Bharti Airtel, British Telecom, Cable & Wireless, Djibouti Telecom, Gibtelecom, Maroc Telecom, Libyan Telecom, Mauritius Telecom, MTN Group Ltd, Omantel, Portugal Telecom, France Telecom S.A., Saudi Telecom Company, Telecom Egypt, Telkom SA Ltd and Verizon Business.

Source African Press Agency

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