Cable from Brazil to be connected within two weeks - breakages remain greatest fear
September 17, 2011 | By KNews | Filed Under News
Source - Kaieteur News
Chief Engineer Walter Willis inspecting the cable laying along the Linden Highway earlier this year.
The 540-kilometer fibre optic cable that Government is laying from Brazil and the vehicle that Guyana is hoping will drastically change the way it is run, has landed in Georgetown. Connectivity is expected within two weeks, an official say.
Currently, workers are busy linking the sections and conducting the necessary tests to ensure continuity, Senior Engineer Walter Willis told reporters earlier this week.
Willis is overseeing the project on behalf of government.
One of the biggest worries for the engineer and Government will be how to minimize the disruptions of connectivity.
The cable is crucial to a government’s project to place 90,000 laptops in the hands of poor families across Guyana, Willis said. From it, Government will be creating hotspots and cheaper internet connections.
“Any disruptions will be a nightmare. I have conveyed this to Alexei Ramotar, who is managing the Project Execution Unit (PEU).”
And Willis has plenty reasons to be fearful. The fibre optic cable is crossing rivers, going underground and being strung on poles.
The challenges have been plenty since the laying of the cable started last year. The cables have come in 10-kilometer segments.
Three contractors were hired initially and then two more retained to speed up the work.
With heavy rains in Region Nine during the mid-year period, work also suffered because of flooding along the Lethem trail.
There was one deliberate cut and at least four accidental ones while the laying was in progress. All these have since been corrected.
According to Willis, the cable laying has been done in phases. From Takutu Bridge, Lethem to Annai; from Annai to Kurupukari; from Kurupukari to Mabura and from Mabura to Wisroc Junction. From being underground up to Wisroc Junction, it was then partially suspended to the Linden Turnoff before being placed underground again up to Kuru Kururu. From there, it has been strung on posts to the city.
The PEU has already acquired equipment, similar to that of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company, to quickly identify problem areas along the lines.
The project, part of a larger plan to speed internet access across Guyana, came shortly after GT&T landed a US$60M fibre optic cable from Suriname.
The Brazil cable will see improved connectivity between government offices, easier access to citizens to download forms, passport applications and other critical information.
This will all change dramatically, government has said.
September 17, 2011 | By KNews | Filed Under News
Source - Kaieteur News
Chief Engineer Walter Willis inspecting the cable laying along the Linden Highway earlier this year.The 540-kilometer fibre optic cable that Government is laying from Brazil and the vehicle that Guyana is hoping will drastically change the way it is run, has landed in Georgetown. Connectivity is expected within two weeks, an official say.
Currently, workers are busy linking the sections and conducting the necessary tests to ensure continuity, Senior Engineer Walter Willis told reporters earlier this week.
Willis is overseeing the project on behalf of government.
One of the biggest worries for the engineer and Government will be how to minimize the disruptions of connectivity.
The cable is crucial to a government’s project to place 90,000 laptops in the hands of poor families across Guyana, Willis said. From it, Government will be creating hotspots and cheaper internet connections.
“Any disruptions will be a nightmare. I have conveyed this to Alexei Ramotar, who is managing the Project Execution Unit (PEU).”
And Willis has plenty reasons to be fearful. The fibre optic cable is crossing rivers, going underground and being strung on poles.
The challenges have been plenty since the laying of the cable started last year. The cables have come in 10-kilometer segments.
Three contractors were hired initially and then two more retained to speed up the work.
With heavy rains in Region Nine during the mid-year period, work also suffered because of flooding along the Lethem trail.
There was one deliberate cut and at least four accidental ones while the laying was in progress. All these have since been corrected.
According to Willis, the cable laying has been done in phases. From Takutu Bridge, Lethem to Annai; from Annai to Kurupukari; from Kurupukari to Mabura and from Mabura to Wisroc Junction. From being underground up to Wisroc Junction, it was then partially suspended to the Linden Turnoff before being placed underground again up to Kuru Kururu. From there, it has been strung on posts to the city.
The PEU has already acquired equipment, similar to that of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company, to quickly identify problem areas along the lines.
The project, part of a larger plan to speed internet access across Guyana, came shortly after GT&T landed a US$60M fibre optic cable from Suriname.
The Brazil cable will see improved connectivity between government offices, easier access to citizens to download forms, passport applications and other critical information.
This will all change dramatically, government has said.