Dar Es Salaam — THE cost of international telecommunications and internet connectivity is expected to drop significantly next July, this year, after the East African sub marine cable system (EASSY) becomes available.

The Zantel's Business Development Director, Michael Magambo, told the 'Daily News' yesterday that once the system comes to Tanzania, it will reduce the costs of voice calls and internet.

He said that Zantel will sell the EASSY capacity to neighbouring countries and other telecom operators or they will have to buy the capacity from other EASSY shareholders in order to use the EASSY capacity.

Zantel will have two fiber links which will consist of SEACOM and EASY and that this will allow the company to have assurance to its customers. In case of a breakdown, the customers will use the alternative fiber link, he said.

Mr Magambo said that the over-arching goal of the EASSY project is to promote economic development and reinforce regional and inter-regional integration, by providing cost effective and improved alternative international connectivity to the global optic fibre system.

Specifically, the objective of the project is to improve the region's global connectivity, by providing the last link of the high capacity optic fibre submarine cable encircling and connecting the continent of Africa to the global high capacity optic fibre system, he said.

"The project is aimed at providing infrastructure to increase the inter-regional and global information and communication technology (ICT) connectivity," he said.

Mr Magambo further said that the project will involve providing a high capacity optic fibre sub-marine cable running the total length of eastern coast of Africa, connecting to the rest of the world.

Mr John Mwalekwa who runs an internet cafe at Mwenge Terminal, said that it was encouraging to note that there were various efforts being made by the government and the private sector to make sure that internet prices are going down.

He, however, said that there was a problem with internet service providers, where they have not been giving clients the speed and package they have been advertising, hence creating inconvenience to end users.

"We mostly get the speed which is lower than what was promised and we have no where to go and deliver our cries," he added.