MTN invests in EIG

The MTN Group is reportedly investing in the USD700 million European-Indian Gateway (EIG) cable system. The fibre-optic submarine system will provide a central linking point for other cable systems already being deployed around Africa, such as the East African submarine cable system (Eassy) and the West African cable system (WACS). MTN Uganda chief executive officer, Noel Meier, said, ‘MTN’s investment in EIG is a step toward affordable and high quality global broadband connectivity to meet the varied and changing needs of our customers.’ The 15,000km cable will run from the UK to India via Portugal, Gibraltar, Monaco, Libya, Egypt, Djibouti, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Alcatel-Lucent is expected to start laying the cable next month.