ICT: Information superhighway for Madagascar

The deal, which will bring fiber optics links to the port city of Toamasina, has already been struck.
The project will cost some 302 million Euros.
The investors insist on having a technical expert from the company which will install this high speed link, on site, in the capital city; a
34% commitment could be acquired for a token payment of one Euro.
As soon as this happens, the project can start, and will take about one year to complete.
Fermatel Director, Mr. Mamy Rabe reiterated the feasibility of this fiber optics project by pointing out how reasonable its installation cost is.
He explained, “The trunk end backbone network can be quickly established as soon as we receive a 4.5 million Euro installment, at the end of this year.
At the rate of 1,000 kilometers per year, we can complete the entire island’s 5,000 kilometer fiber optics requirement within 5 years.”

Mr. Mamy Rabe believes that the installation of a trunk end backbone network will insure the future of Madagascar’s information superhighway, once the Island is linked via fiber optics to neighboring Indian Ocean islands.
The trunk end backbone provides ultra high speed links through serial connection nodes which form a primary connection axis.
This fiber optics national communication network will initially link Toamasina to Antananarivo, and then Antsirabe, Fianarantsoa…

Best investment

According to Mr. Mamy Rabe, fiber optics, with a life span of at least 25 years is a much better investment than satellites which only last between 7 to 12 years.
He pointed out that the high cost of today’s satellite communication is due to the exorbitant rental cost of a pass-band. With a 10 megabits per second capacity, the cost will be 40% less than that of satellite links.
Mr. Mamy Rabe confirms, “Given that one pair of optical fiber cables is capable of carrying 10 megabits/second, this dream can come true with only
4,500 Euros per kilometer for installing a 6 pair fiber optics unit.”
He recommends that we create an economic interest group which will manage this up-coming information superhighway.

Telecom Malagasy – Telma -, Madagascar’s original telecommunication link provider, could actively participate in the installation of Madagascar’s information superhighway.
They could invest up to 15.140 million Euros in the installation of the national trunk end backbone station.
The company had already planned to provide a 95% coverage of the entire territory, in output rate or accessibility, by year 2004.
Moreover, Telma has not made any investment in the past two years.
The privatization proceedings of this state-owned agency have just resumed.
Haja Rasolonjatovo, the minister in charge of trusts, has just returned from a business trip to Asia which was aimed at renewing talks with Distacom, the company receivers.
Furthermore, Madagascar could follow the Indian or Mauritian model, mentioned time and time again, during the Information and Communication Technology forum (ICT), for installing its very own information superhighway, a dream which will soon become reality.

Translated by J. F. Razanamiadana