The second phase of the Central Africa Backbone (Cab-Congo) project, of approximately 347km of fiber, was officially launched on August 8 in Ntam, a border town, by the Congolese Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy, Léon Juste Ibombo, in the presence of the Secretary General of the Cameroonian Ministry of Telecommunications, Mohamadou Saoudi.
The works of the central African fiber optic backbone line Cab Congo component are financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) at about 66.5 million euros, or more than 155.3 billion FCFA. They include the departure from the city of Ouesso to connect to Ntam on the Cameroon side, with points of intersection Ouesso-Paris (60km), Paris-Biesse (80km), Biesse-Sembé (50km), Sembé-Souanké (100km) , Souanké-Ntam (66km) and Ouesso-Rivière Sangha (1.52km).
The construction of this second line of interconnection between the Congo and its neighbors is being carried out by Chinese companies Huawei and China communications services international (CCSI). The second, specializing in the technical supply of telecommunications, is responsible for the construction of high-speed fiber optic infrastructure and the interconnection between Congo and Cameroon and between Congo and the Central African Republic. Huawei is in charge of the installation of optical signal and power transmission equipment.
On the ground, work has already started, particularly between Ouesso-Ketta-Sembé, more than 180km away. Notwithstanding the work on the backbone, the construction of a data center is also planned; of a technopole; a set of feasibility studies; institutional support including, among others, the Post and Electronic Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ARPCE), the National Institute for the Blind of Congo, the Institute for Deaf Youth of Congo at the University Marien- Ngouabi.
The impact of the project will be beneficial for the economies of the two countries and especially for the communities of the district of Souanké (department of Sangha), about 1000 km from the northern exit of Brazzaville. For the sub-prefect of Souanké, Bernard Ingouli, the commissioning of the optical fiber connection will allow his locality to move out of technological isolation. This part of the Republic of Congo has not yet had an internet connection and the telephone network remains very weak.
For the Congolese Minister of Telecom, Léon Juste Ibombo, the launch of the Congo-Cameroon optical fiber works marks the realization of the will of the heads of state of the sub-region expressed in 2007 during a summit in N’Djamena (Chad). This infrastructure, he added, will boost the development of telecoms, facilitate access to the broadband network and reduce the high costs of telecom services on the business climate and increase the effectiveness of connectivity. This is also the opinion of the representative of Cameroon, Mohamadou Saoudi, who hailed an excellent integrative project.
