TTCL: Fibre -optic fruits will take time
FARAJA MGWABATI, 5th August 2009 @ 00:36
THE arrival of fibre-optic technologies in Tanzania last month will have little immediate impact in the way we communicate with each other, it has been confirmed. However, the amount of data changing hands and quality of voice communication has already improved since the Tanzania Telecommunication Company (TTCL) was hooked into the Seacom Tanzania Ltd on July 28, 2009.
The cable which connects Tanzania with the rest of the world was launched by President Jakaya Kikwete on July 23, 2009. Fibre-optic cable technology which is expected to replace the inferior satellite infrastructures once in vogue not long ago is envisaged to cut the cost of communication by at least two thirds.
The Acting Director of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology, Mr Manyiri Isaac, told the Daily News that the cost to end-users might not go down immediately because communication companies still have contracts with satellite service providers to service.
Mr Isaac said the communications companies would have to pay more because they would be required to pay for both the satellite services and for fibre-optic services. I think when their contracts with the satellite providers come to an end, more companies will join the new technology
only then shall we begin to see the costs going down, Mr Isaac said.
He said that TTCL was the only company connected to the new technology until yesterday -- because the others were still reluctant to do so. But with time they will eventually join, he added. These views were shared by the TTCL Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Said Said, who said that Tanzanians could only begin to benefit from the speed and quality of the services when the prices finally drop.
However, he said the arrival of the new technology would not completely replace the satellite technology since the mobile phone companies would still be required to use their old towers mired to satellite connections. Fibre-optic cables will only be used to connect between one to other towers
but from tower to mobile phone users, tower (wireless) will be needed, he said.
Mr Said also noted that his company had three running contracts with Satellite providers, one of which expires in September. He said TTCL customers had already started reaping the gains from the new technology because the quality and speed of internet connectivity had since gone up four times, but they (TTCL) were yet to connect to telephone interchange.
The CEO called on businesses and individuals to join the technology through TTCL because internet connections using landline telephones would now provide the best option over wireless ones. The government has commissioned the construction of the National Backbone Infrastructure Project (NBIP) that will enable the fibre-optic technology to reach all districts by 2011.