Telecoms operators in Zambia have finished the first phase of a project to create and link to a huge fibre optic network across southern Africa.
They have been laying fibre optic cables across Zambia which will connect to other countries throughout the Southern Africa Development Community region, the IDG News Service reports.
Several Zambian towns have already been connected by the cables and once a national fibre optic backbone is complete the country's government wants to connect this to networks in Botswana and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The aim of the project is to provide essential infrastructure for the provision of ICT services and ensure broadband connectivity across the region.
Dora Siliya, Zambia's minister for communications and transport, told IDG News Service that the government hopes to reach 5,000 kilometres of fibre optic cabling by 2010 to ensure full coverage nationally and extend to other southern African countries.
Meanwhile in the UK communications regulator Ofcom is emphasising the benefits of superfast broadband to encourage providers to switch to high speed network cables such as fibre optics.
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Last Updated: 14/07/2008 16:46
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