Algerian Minister of Post and Telecommunications Brahim Boumzar (pictured) announced on September 7 the country will soon be connected to a fourth submarine optical fiber cable. This was on the sidelines of the signing ceremony of an agreement between Algérie Poste and the Tourism sector, on the generalization of the interbank payment card and the deployment of electronic payment terminals (EPT) within tourist establishments.

The 4th cable “will reinforce the country’s data capacities supported by the existing three cables, namely the Sea-Me-We 4, the Medex linking - from Annaba- the Algerian Internet network of optical fiber to the international network linking the United States of America to Asia, and the Orval/Alval linking Algiers, Oran, and Valencia in Spain,” said Brahim Boumzar.

Brahim Boumzar's announcement comes a few weeks after major disruptions to Internet connectivity in Algeria. A situation that is not new in the country, but which has prompted this time a swifter response from the Minister of Telecommunications.