The laying of government’s fibre optic cable from Brazil is on course to be completed by the revised May 26 deadline, senior government engineer Walter Willis says.
Speaking to this newspaper on Wednesday, Willis said that the project was about 75 percent complete. Of the five lots, which run from Lethem to Providence, lots 2 and 4 have already been completed. Lots 1 and 3 are currently being done by Mekdeci Machinery and Construction Inc. Lot 1, which runs from Lethem to Annai and covers 140 km, is 50 percent completed. The third lot, from Kurupukari to Mabura, is 120 km. So far, 55 km has been completed.
Lot 5, from Wismar to Providence, consists of 110 km, with 50 km being aerial and 51 km buried. The engineers, Dynamic Engineering Company, have already completed laying the 51 km of cable and have strung up 40 km. The remaining 10 km of aerial cable was to be strung up over the weekend, Willis disclosed.
“We have been given the assurance that they will complete it for the 26th of May,” Willis said.
After the project fell behind schedule, the technical supervisors had advised those undertaking to project to pour more resources into getting the job completed. These include both human and mechanical resources.
After the cable has been laid, Chinese company Huawei will take over and oversee the installation of equipment and connectivity checks. Government’s investment in the fibre optic cable has been plugged as an initiative to push e-governance in the country and improve local internet access.
