Algerian minister for post and ICT, Iman Houda Feraoun, announced on March 28, 2016, new submarine fiber optic cable would be operational in February 2017. This cable goes from Oran to Valencia, Spain, Algérie Presse Service (APS) reported.

The infrastructure will boost internet in Algeria, which is already connected to Italy and France through the Algiers-Palma and Annaba-Marseille fiber optic cables. The new cable will prevent Algeria from having its internet limited as it was the case in 2015 when the SEA-ME-WE 4 cable broke.

Asides serving as a safety net in case there is a problem, the submarine cable will also help progressively reduce cost to access high-speed internet in Algeria. Works to deploy the cable started in November 2015, and should end in January 2017. They have been estimated at $26 million.

Let us remind that the fiber optic submarine cable connecting Algeria to Spain comprises two segments. The first goes from Oran to Valencia and the second from Algiers to Valencia. Deployment for the second segment also started in November 2015 and is to take 14 months. However, it has been estimated at $10 million.

Muriel Edjo