Cote D’Ivoire rolls out the cables
Public investment in the telecommunication sector could see the completion of an extensive (6,700 km) fibre optic network over the next few years and help fulfill the government’s aim of raising internet access to around 20-30% of the population, up from the current penetration rate of about 2%. The first phase of the expansion (a 1,400 km cable from San Pedro in the south west to Ferkessedougou in the central north) began in 2012 and is scheduled for completion by the end of this year. The second phase (a 650 km cable from Grand-Bassam and Abidjan in the south east to Bouna in the north east) began in July and is scheduled for completion in early 2014. The final three stages of the project will connect the central regions, beginning in 2014 and should take two years to complete. This follows the roll out of the West African Cable System (WACS) in 2012, which stretches from Europe through West Africa to South Africa, and together these infrastructure developments should help bring cheaper, faster and more reliable internet connectivity to Cote D’Ivoire over the next five years.