Porto, Portugal, June 26, 2024 (Lusa) - The president of Timor-Leste's National Communications Authority (ANC), Flávio Cardoso Neves, on Wednesday estimated that the installation of the submarine fibre-optic cable will take two months, and then it will go into testing and general use in 2025.
"Two or three days ago the government launched the link from Dili to Australia, and I expect the project to be finalised in the next two months," the president of the Timorese communications regulator, Flávio Cardoso Neves, told Lusa.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the 14th Communications Forum of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), being held at the Cupertino de Miranda Foundation in Porto.
"Of course it's an important thing for the government of Timor-Leste to be able to develop the sector as well," and this submarine fibre optic cable project is "an intersectoral project" that "involves finance, investment planning and the technical side of telecommunications."
According to Flávio Cardoso Neves, after installation "the government intends to establish a public company to manage the submarine cable".
"I think this is great news for us. We hope that with this project we can improve connectivity in Dili, and of course, then open up the new technology to rural areas," he also expressed the hope that the project "will be beneficial for all operators and internet service providers."
Asked when the submarine cable will enter the country's generalised telecommunications service, Flávio Cardoso Neves said he believed it should start "to be implemented in 2025", but the testing phase could begin as soon as the installation is finalised.
"For the national authority process, it has a very important role. As you know, this is new for Timor-Leste, as a recent country, and we are trying to ensure that all the regulations are approved for when the cable arrives," he told Lusa, also expressing a desire to "speed up the process" legally and regulatory, so that "everyone is satisfied".
According to official information from the Government of Timor-Leste, the submarine cable will connect the country "to the Northwest Cable System (NWCS), owned by Vocus, Australia", with the capacity to transfer "27 terabits per second (Tbps) between Timor-Leste and Australia".
"The cable is 607 kilometres long, includes seven repeaters and features a branch cable to the Greater Sunrise region," and was built by Alcatel.
According to the Timorese government, "this new infrastructure will significantly reduce latency and increase internet speed, ushering in a new era of digital transformation for the nation".
JE/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
