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Fibre Optic Network Tested in Four Regions
Source: Tanzania Daily News
Source Date: Monday, January 23, 2012
Focus: ICT for MDGs
Country: Tanzania
Created: Jan 24, 2012

THE National Fibre Optic Network is being tested in four regions ahead of nationwide coverage in March this year, it has been said. The Minister for Communication, Science and Technology, Prof Makame Mbarawa, told the 'Daily News' over the weekend that the network has also been laid in five other regions but is yet to be activated. The Project Phase I has already been implemented, while Phase II will be completed come March this year. The regions, where the network is being tested are Mtwara, Lindi, Njombe and Ruvuma. Prof Mbarawa, who was speaking shortly after officiating at award presentation ceremony at the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT), noted that the system was yet to be activated in regions such as Kigoma and Rukwa. "The first phase involved linking it to neighbouring countries of Burundi, Malawi and Rwanda. We are now finalizing the second phase which targets all regions and at the same time we're getting prepared for a third phase that will connect all districts," he said. In another development, the minister called on Tanzanians living closer to National Fibre Optic Cable's infrastructures to provide a shield against vandalisms. "Vandalism is a threat and risks are there since the cable has been routed through remote areas where it may not be possible to adequately provide formal security, we therefore call for voluntarism spirit in the name of patriotism from Wananchi," he said. "In some hard places especially where there are rocks, the constructors left the cables exposed instead of burying them at a recommended depth of 0.8 metre in rocky areas and 1.5m in a sandy areas," he said. The government is set to spend over 189 million US dollars on laying the national fibre optic network, which is expected to be completed by March this year, boosting Internet speed and costs. The project is financed jointly by China and Tanzania, with the former dishing out over 170 million US dollars and the latter 18 million US dollars. Prof Mbarawa said that the Exim Bank of China had provided the government with a concession loan for phase one and two of the project. According to Prof Mbarawa, the plan is to connect the whole country, with the cable reaching each district before the end of 2012.
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