Green light for Eassy cable

[rpm]

http://www.fmtech.co.za/telecoms/green-light-for-eassy-cable/

The 21 parties involved in a project to build a high-capacity undersea fibre-optic cable along Africa’s east coast have agreed to begin construction of the US$235m system.

 

[Alchemist]

*reserves comment for later imminent date*

 

[LazyLion]

"Green Light" means it is OK for the DOC to suddenly stick it's foot in the way again?

 

[semiautomatix]

Well, at least they've agreed. Whether anything gets built is another story.

 

[ShaunSA]

Parliamentarians have labelled the Uhurunet undersea cable project as “crony capitalism”. They were also shocked to hear that, although the Department of Communications (DOC) had presented it as a done deal, Cabinet had still to approve it.

http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/telecoms/2008/0803121100.asp?A=BRO&S=Broadband&O=FPLEAD

Hopefully they (Parliament) listen to what Dene Smuts says!

Yeah I know I'm being optimistic

 

[semiautomatix]

Seacom FTW!

 

[ic]

http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/telecoms/2008/0803121100.asp?A=BRO&S=Broadband&O=FPLEAD

Hopefully they (Parliament) listen to what Dene Smuts says!

Yeah I know I'm being optimistic

Yes, one can only hope.

Later in the session, Shope-Mafole said Telkom, MTN, Vodacom, Sentech and Neotel would all be shareholders in the SPV and so would other VANS whom regulator ICASA may license as individual electronic communications network services.

Note the conspicuous absence of Infraco in that list, and the suspicious inclusion of Sentech - which is supposedly hanging up its international calls - whatever they may be...

Shongwe and Shope-Mafole asserted that discussions were under way to incorporate the Department of Public Enterprises' project to lay a West Coast cable under the new state-owned enterprise Broadband Infraco, into Uhurunet.

Stalin-Mafole fancies herself - as some sort of Borg queen.

Randy Pieterse, of the ANC, broadly supported Smut's questions by saying: “I think Dene has asked all there needs to be asked.'

I'm not so sure about that - without having seen & heard what transpired, it sounds more like the ANC was trying to cut Dene Smuts short of asking more probing questions.