Alcatel and mobile phone operator Vodafone have signed a contract to build a submarine cable system between Malta and Sicily.
Financial details weren't disclosed.
This project will link Vodafone Malta and Sicily with a high-capacity fiber optic link and will increase data bandwidth availability whilst increasing international voice capacity. In Malta, there is only one cable system, which supports all voice, data and Internet requirements.
Under the terms of the agreement, Alcatel will supply a submarine fiber cable spanning approximately 250 kilometers, a land cable and transmission equipment.
The submarine cable will be laid on the seabed at a maximum depth of 3,000 meters after an extensive survey of the sea bed is carried out between Malta and Catania in Sicily, using a survey ship equipped with sonar and other sophisticated survey equipment. Equipped with armored steel protection, the cable is designed to withstand the harshest sea environment.
During operation, the cable system will be monitored 24 hours a day from the Vodafone Malta Operations Center in B'Kara.
The initial capacity of the system is 2.5 Gbits/sec with the potential to increase the capacity over 1 Tbit/sec, making the system future proof in terms of capacity expansion.
Vodafone Malta was granted an International Gateway license in January 2003, upon liberalization of international gateway services.
The Vodafone Malta-Sicily Cable System is a component of the International Gateway project whereby Vodafone Malta will be providing international telecommunication services between Malta and other countries.
"The Vodafone International gateway is expected to be operational by summer 2004... This project will strengthen Malta's international telecommunications infrastructure and will also increase the capacity for the projected future demand of the Internet and related services. Furthermore, it will create a competitive market for International voice and IP services," said Joseph C. Grioli, Managing Director at Vodafone Malta.
