The Democratic Republic Of Congo’s (DRC) stalled connection to the West African Cable Systems (WACS) is expected to resume within the next three weeks.
It will be the first direct connection to international submarine cable networks for the states of Namibia, Togo, the Republic of Congo and the DRC.
The DRC, reports the VOA, planned to connect to the cable in May, but the connection was delayed.
Societe Congolaise des Postes et Telecommunications (SCPT) Director General Placide Mbatika confirmed then that the cable transmission equipment had been installed at the landing station in Muanda, and the connection looked set to go live.
But the cable’s landing station had not been built to the correct technical standards, with claims of the company contracted professing no previous ‘experience’ in the field.
The Africa-Europe undersea system is expected to lower broadband costs and boost connectivity. Its delay had previously been attributed to government red tape, financial flaws, and lack of technical know-how.
Earlier irregularities had also been associated with SCPT, a national fixed line provider, which saw close to US$3 million worth of government funds ‘vanish’.
The irregularities were made public after SCPT employees protested against plans for the creation of Congo Cable to manage the country’s fibre-optic connectivity, which had been abandoned given the national security concerns.
The DRC and Republic of Congo expect a roll out of cable connections currently in various stages of planning by the CAB and Liquid Telecom within the coming year.
Meanwhile, a report by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency, indicates that competition in the international gateway of broadband provision is yet to be introduced in African countries.
