Orange To Link Madagascar To Broadband Internet Via A New Submarine Fiber Optic Cable

Paris - France Telecom & Orange plan to install a submarine fiber optic cable providing Madagascar with broadband Internet. Known as Lion, the 1,800 km cable will connect Madagascar with the region's existing Sat3-Wasc-Safe cable.

Lion will link Madagascar with the rest of the world via the islands of Reunion and Maurice, the two connection points of the Sat3-Wasc-Safe cable, which itself links Europe to Asia via South Africa. The investment will be made by a consortium including Orange Madagascar, Mauritius Telecom, and France Telecom who will operate the cable jointly. The consortium could later be extended to include other partners.

The investment falls in line with the development policy programmed by the state of Madagascar. It covers the purchasing, the installation of the submarine cable, the construction of a landing station in the region of Toamasina, and a very high speed fiber optic link from Toamasina to the capital.

The submarine cable Lion will contribute to the development of the telecommunications network, a determining factor in the social and economic development of the region. This new very high speed cable provides an excellent international connection for Internet-based activity.

SOURCE: France Telecom & Orange