MARCH 26, 2008 -- France Telecom (search for France Telecom) and 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 also link 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, installation of the submarine cable, construction of a landing station in the region of Toamasina, and a very high-speed fiber-optic link from Toamasina to the capital.
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