Telecom Egypt plans to complete within days the terrestrial infrastructure of the link works between Zaarafana on the Red Sea and Abu Talat on the Mediterranean for OTMT's Mena Cable. The Middle East and North Africa Submarine Cable Systems or MENA Cable is the subsidiary of Orascom Telecom Media and Technology Holding S.A.E – OTMT - (OTMT.CA). In January, Telecom Egypt (ETEL.CA) sold rights for the use of part of its infrastructure to a subsidiary of Egypt's OTMT, bringing the subsidiary closer to launching a submarine cable network. The agreement, worth US$30 million, will allow MENA to use Telecom Egypt's link between Zaarafana on the Red Sea and Abu Talat on the Mediterranean for 20 years, OTMT said in an emailed statement two months earlier. As pursuant to the agreement, Telecom Egypt is to provide 2 pairs of diversified dark fibres to complete the terrestrial infrastructure of its MENA submarine cable system extending across Egypt. MENA, which the company had previously hoped would be fully operational in June last year, has been delayed by a lack of regulatory approvals for its terrestrial section passing through Egypt, OTMT official Marwan Hussein said last January. From his part, Eng. Mohamed El-Nawawy – the CEO of Egypt's state-owned fixed line operator Telecom Egypt – said by virtue of signing the IRU agreement, OTMT would be then the 19th client enjoying the TE's cable network services. TE and OTMT are currently working on the completion of the technical works for the submarine cable network project. Once completed the Middle East and North Africa Submarine Cable Systems (MENA) fibre optic network will link up Italy, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman and India.
