The Central African Backbone (CAB) is a fiber-optic Internet backbone connecting the countries of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) in Africa via high speed internet. The countries included in the CAB project are: Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Republic of the Congo and São Tomé and Príncipe. It's split up into five phases, each phase focusing on the fibre rollout in one or more countries.
List of CAB phases Phase Reference Countries Approval Date Closing Date Status Total Project Cost Phase 1 APL1A 24 September 2009 15 March 2016 Finished US$26,730,000 Phase 2 APL2 20 January 2011 31 December 2014 Finished US$14,900,000 Phase 3 APL3 25 May 2011 29 October 2019 Finished US$33,680,000 Phase 4 APL4 28 March 2012 9 April 2021 Finished US$132,000,000 Phase 5 SOP5 16 July 2014 31 March 2022 Finished US$38,093,000
Funding The project is funded by a loan from the World Bank, initially estimated at US$160 million. As of 2015, total World Bank funding for the project is at US$206 million, and the total project cost, including financing from other sources than the World Bank, is estimated at US$273 million.
CAB in Cameroon In Cameroon the CAB runs from the coast, through the capital of Yaoundé, to the north east where it meets up with the Chadian part of the backbone.
CAB in Central African Republic The deployment of the CAB in the Central African Republic was slowed down by the political instability in 2012-2013. It runs from Chad in the north to the capital of Bangui.
CAB in Chad In Chad the CAB runs from N'Djamena towards the south where it forks off in two directions, one towards Cameroon and one towards the Central African Republic.
CAB in Democratic Republic of the Congo In Democratic Republic of the Congo the CAB will run from Kinshasa to Lubumbashi and Kisangani.
CAB in Gabon In Gabon the CAB runs from Libreville to Franceville, and from thereon it splits in two directions, one towards Lékoni and another towards Koulamoutou.
CAB in Republic of the Congo In Republic of the Congo the CAB runs from the port city of Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville, and from thereon north to Ouesso.
CAB in São Tomé and Príncipe In São Tomé and Príncipe the CAB runs in the capital of São Tomé
International terrestrial fibre interconnection The CAB crosses several international borders, including a Cameroon-Chad interconnection, a Chad-CAR interconnection, a Congo-DRC interconnection between Brazzaville and Kinshasa,http://www.digitalcongo.net/article/86452 | Retrieved on 28 April 2015. as well as a Congo-Gabon interconnection between running from Dolisie along the Congo–Ocean Railway, and through Mont-Mbelo, Makabana, Mossendjo and Mbinda, before crossing over into Gabon.
See also List of terrestrial fibre optic cable projects in Africa
References