Telecom Egypt Joins OXYGEN
Network
HAMILTON, Bermuda (AROL) -- The Egyptian
Telecommunications Company (Telecom Egypt) has agreed to purchase
capacity in Project OXYGEN(tm), the planned global optical fiber
undersea cable Network, said a press release.
The carrier will also provide access to the OXYGEN Network through
landing points in Port Said, Suez, and Alexandria.
"Telecom Egypt decided to join Project OXYGEN because of its
unique design as a Network," said Egyptian Minister of Communication
Eng Soliman Metwally, Chairman of the carrier's General Assembly.
"Our central position as a gateway to Africa, Asia and Europe makes
this a perfect fit for all parties concerned."
Telecom Egypt's Chairman, Abd Elfattah Abou Sarie, signed the
Capacity Agreement at the company's head office in Cairo, along with
Ambassador Bradley Holmes, President of Project Oxygen Network
Ltd.
As a Project OXYGEN Landing Party, Telecom Egypt will be
responsible for routing traffic between the domestic network and the
global OXYGEN Network.
"Telecom Egypt's participation will bring enormous benefits to Project
OXYGEN," said Mahmoud El Soury, Vice President of Middle East
Business Development for the project. "It is a crucial partner for any
cable system passing through the Middle East."
Telecom Egypt, Egypt's national telecommunications carrier, was
formerly known as the Arab Republic of Egypt National
Telecommunication Organization (ARENTO).
Founded in 1870, its name changed in 1998 when it was converted
from a government-operated carrier to an independently managed
government-owned company. It operates more than 5 million subscriber
lines, most of them digital, with a modernized backbone and five satellite
earth stations.
Project OXYGEN Network is a planned global undersea optical fiber
cable network with a first phase comprising approximately 168,000
kilometers of optical fiber cable, 99 landing points in 78 countries and
locations, and a minimum capacity of 1,280 Gbit/s on every segment.
Cable installation is scheduled to begin in 1999, with the major
trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific links operational in 2000 and 2001,
respectively. The first phase will be complete in early 2003. |
