Eltel inks deal with Huawei to install 1,600km fibre-optic cable in Ethiopia

Finland-based infranet solutions provider Eltel has announced the signing of a major contract in Ethiopia with China’s Huawei Technologies. According to Eltel, the contract includes the installation of approximately 1,600km of optical ground wire (OPGW) on existing power transmission lines, and it has said the work will be carried out on live line conditions for the first time in the country. With the venture – which is part of a larger National Grid Development and Improvement Project – expected to be completed by the end of 2015, it has been suggested that the new OPGW will ‘enhance the utility’s internal communication capabilities, and it will also provide a high quality backbone for third party users’.