Name and location
The East Africa Marine System (Teams), Kenya.

Project description
The project will involve the construction of a 4 887-km submarine telecoms cable linking the Kenyan coast with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Value
The project will cost an estimated $110-million.

Duration
The project is expected to take 16 months to complete once the contract to build the telecoms cable is formally signed.

Breakdown of main contracts
Not stated.

Client
The Kenyan government will own a 45% stake in the project. Etisalat, the leading telecommunications company in the UAE, has committed itself to financing 15% of the project while the remaining 45% is likely to be taken up by private-sector operators and interested governments in the region. So far Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania and Southern Sudan have shown interest in participating in the project.

Latest developments
The milestones achieved for the project to date include the completion of a marine survey, the completion of a detailed feasibility study that confirmed the viability of the project, and putting in place landing points in Kenya and the UAE.

An environmental-impact assessment has also been completed, as has been an Internet market analysis study, which confirmed significant demand for high-speed and reliable band-width. Further, the government of Kenya has awarded an $82-million contract to French company Alcatel-Lucent to build the submarine cable linking the port city of Mombasa with Fujairah, in the UAE. Five firms qualified to bid for the project, but Alcatel-Lucent edged out the other four competitors (Fujitsu, NEC, Tyco Telecommunication and Huawei Technologies) on price and timescale. Alcatel-Lucent indicated that it could complete the construction of the undersea cable seven months ahead of the other competitors.

Participants
Alcatel-Lucent (submarine cable contract).

Construction materials
Not stated.

On budget and on time?
Too early to state.

Contact details for project information
The Kenya Ministry of Information and
Communication, tel +254 2 227 411,
fax +254 2 243 620 or
email infocomm@information.go.ke.