Tanzania and Uganda will together build an alternative undersea cable via Mutukula in an attempt to overcome frequent Internet cable breakdowns being faced by both countries
The move came after the Uganda government invited an international firm to construct an alternative Internet cable in the country to end the ongoing connectivity blues.
Tanzania Telecommunication Company Limited (TTCL) commercial executive, Nicodemus Mnungu, said the alternative broadband backbone would enable Uganda to widen Internet transmission and ensure connection reliability.
Mnungu remarked, “Uganda is connected to Kenya cables but it also wants to have an alternative route in case of inconveniences or breakdown.”
He added that Uganda would be leasing the circuits to transfer its Internet contents from Dar es Salaam to Mtukula border and into Uganda to boost the connectivity. The tariffs for the connectivity will depend on connection and on how much bandwidth Uganda would be using through the circuit, he added.
“Currently, TTCL is also offering Burundi, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique a chance to become a part of the project and be connected with TTCL broadband which is the custodian of National Information and Communication Technology Back Bone (NICTBB),” said Mnungu.
The government said the countries were still in dialogue with TTCL and by next year, if the talks go on well, the connectivity procedures will start immediately.
The director for technical services at National Information Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U), Peter Kahiigi, said his government will embark on the project starting in November this year.
Kahiigi stressed every time the fibre cables were damaged in Kenya, Uganda too suffered.
The Mutukula-Tanzania route will, however, ensure that both Tanzania and Uganda have an alternative route to tackle this challenge, Kahiigi added.
