The West African nation of Liberia will have high-speed Internet as soon as a transatlantic fiber-optic cable is completely installed and operational. Various telecommunications operators, led by French Telecom, are installing the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine cable along Africa’s western coast. It will terminate in the Liberian capital of Monrovia. Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said late Monday that she expects broadband Internet service to begin in her country in October, after other West African states are connected. “When this becomes operational, Liberians will have easy access to information in the world and this will enable them to easily disseminate information to the outside world,” Sirleaf said. Among the government’s plans are offering distance learning to residents, including medical students. The ACE cable will connect 23 countries, including Angola, Gambia, and Sierra Leone. Because of civil war, Liberia was unable to join a pan-African effort to bring fiber optic telecommunications to the continent in 1999. (PhysOrg)(AFP)(The Inquirer)
