DILI, 4 january 2022 (TATOLI) – Minister of Transport and Communications, José Agostinho da Silva said that the progress of the submarine optical fiber cable project from Darwin, Australia to Timor-Leste was at the hands of the National Procurement Commission (CNA).
“The Vice Ministry Jose dos Reis, the Ministry of Finance (MoF), Rui Augusto and I are currently monitoring the whole process of the submarine optical fiber cable project,” Silva told reporters after having a meeting with Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak, in Dili, on Tuesday.
Silva said within five months during the year 2021, the government couldn’t realize any activities concerning the submarine optical fiber cable project.
“We will put efforts to finalize this project before the end of the mandate of the VIII Constitutional Government. This project would be concluded earlier to contribute to the parliamentary election next year,” he said.
In 2020, a decree-law on submarine optical fiber cable project was approved through the deliberation of the Council of Ministers.
The idea of bringing the submarine optical fiber cable to Timor-Leste is part of the priority of the cooperation between Timor-Leste and Australia. Submarine optical fiber cable project aimed to boost internet speeds in Timor-Leste.
The Government of Timor-Leste had forecasted US$41.588 million of the 2021 General State Budget to fund the infrastructure development of the submarine optical fiber cable.
More than 20 international companies had competed in the public procurement tender for the purchase and installation of the equipment of submarine optical fiber cable from Darwin.
In Timor-Leste, the population has access to the internet at a 6 megabit per second (Mbps), provided by three telecommunication companies, namely Timor Telecom, Telkomsel, and Telemor.
On the other hand, the Government, through MTK rented the internet with 200 megabits per second for more than 40 public institutions.
In the future, the government had planned to have internet with 1 gigabit per second to facilitate the work of the public institutions before the installation of the submarine optical fiber cable.
Journalist: Antónia Gusmão
Editor: Julia Chatarina
Translation: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges Rosario
