North African Arab countries to be connected by $1.3 billion phone network

The African Telecommunication Ministers agreed on extending a cable that will connect the telephone communications between these countries and between these countries and the world. The project will have been finished by the year 2000 at a cost of $1.3 billion.

The project coordinator Ahmed Al Owayan declared that the project which is called "Africa 1" was agreed upon at the end of the meetings that lasted for 3 days in Tunis within the meetings of the International Telecommunication Union, which will sponsor the project. He added that all the African countries will sign the " Understanding Memorandum" within days to start implementing the project.

Tunisian Telecommunications Minister Ahmed Quera'a declared that Tunisia delivered the project coordinator an application to join the network which will link 29 stations on the African continent coast. The African countries will be internally connected with a maritime network through land hertz frequency or through a satellite.

Al Qwayan mentioned that the regional project which the International Telecommunication Union ratified in 1993 will be capable of connecting 240 thousand phone calls at the same time.