Cable Consortium of Liberia

Cable Consortium of Liberia (CCL) is a public-private partnership created in 2010 to represent Liberia in the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine fiber-optic cable system and to own and operate the system’s cable landing point in Liberia. Its formation addressed a major structural limitation in the country’s telecommunications infrastructure: before the ACE project, Liberia had no submarine fiber-optic cable landing and had not participated in other African cable initiatives, in part because fourteen years of civil conflict had disrupted national development and regional connectivity. The consortium brought together the Government of Liberia, the national telecommunications operator Libtelco, and two mobile-network operators, Lonestar Cell and Cellcom. The government held the largest stated share, at 60 percent, while Libtelco held 20 percent and Lonestar Cell and Cellcom each held 10 percent. This ownership structure combined public-sector participation with the principal domestic telecommunications operators, giving CCL a role that was both infrastructural and strategic rather than consumer-facing. CCL signed the ACE system’s Construction and Maintenance Agreement on 5 June 2010. The wider ACE project was valued at approximately US$700 million, while Liberia’s stated contribution or share was US$25 million. The World Bank provided an initial US$5 million grant to finance half of the Liberian government’s stake. These arrangements were intended to make participation in the international cable system feasible while extending Liberia’s access to global communications capacity. The ACE cable reached Monrovia on 3 November 2011. At that stage, the associated terminal station was expected to be completed by December 2011, but the Liberian segment could not become operational until construction of the entire ACE system was finished. Completion was projected for the second quarter of 2012 in the contemporary account. The landing was significant because it represented Liberia’s first connection to an international fiber-optic submarine cable, potentially improving bandwidth, reliability, latency and the economics of Internet access for telecommunications operators and their customers. CCL’s role also had a national digital-governance dimension. Once the cable and related facilities became operational, maintenance of Liberia’s .lr country-code top-level domain, which had previously been handled from the United States, was expected to move to Liberia. The consortium therefore stood at the intersection of international connectivity, domestic telecommunications development and the localization of Internet infrastructure. Available reference material describes CCL primarily through its establishment, ownership structure and participation in the ACE build-out. It provides limited information about later operations, branding, leadership, commercial products or current corporate status. CCL is best understood as an infrastructure-owning consortium rather than a conventional retail brand: its significance lies in enabling national connectivity and providing a landing and operating framework for international telecom capacity.

Cable Consortium of Liberia was formed in 2010 as a public-private partnership to secure Liberia’s participation in the Africa Coast to Europe submarine cable system. The consortium was created against the background of Liberia’s limited telecommunications infrastructure and the effects of a prolonged civil conflict. Prior to the ACE project, Liberia had no international submarine fiber-optic cable landing and had not joined other African cable projects. The consortium’s participants included the Government of Liberia, Libtelco, Lonestar Cell and Cellcom. The stated ownership allocation gave the government 60 percent, Libtelco 20 percent, and the two mobile operators 10 percent each. This arrangement placed the state in the leading position while involving the country’s principal telecommunications stakeholders in financing and using the new infrastructure. On 5 June 2010, CCL signed the Construction and Maintenance Agreement for the ACE system. The overall ACE project was reported at approximately US$700 million, and Liberia’s share was stated as US$25 million. The World Bank supplied an initial US$5 million grant to cover half of the Liberian government’s stake. The financing structure reflected the high cost of international cable infrastructure and the need for development assistance to support Liberia’s entry into the global fiber network. The cable landed in Monrovia on 3 November 2011. At the time, the terminal station was expected to be completed by December 2011. The Liberian installation was not expected to become operational immediately, because service depended on the completion of the full ACE system, projected in the contemporary description for the second quarter of 2012. Once in service, the connection was expected to increase Liberia’s international bandwidth and improve the foundation for Internet and telecommunications services. The project also had implications beyond basic network capacity. The maintenance of Liberia’s .lr country-code top-level domain had previously been conducted in the United States, and the ACE connection was expected to support moving that function to Liberia. In this respect, CCL represented an effort to bring more elements of the country’s digital infrastructure under domestic control. The available account does not provide a detailed record of CCL’s subsequent operating performance, leadership, financial results, consumer-facing services or present-day corporate structure. Its documented historical role is therefore concentrated on the formation of the consortium, the financing and governance of Liberia’s ACE participation, and the construction of the Monrovia cable landing facility.

• 2012

  Projected ACE system commissioning

  [1]Cable Consortium of Liberiaen.wikipedia.org

  The contemporary account projected that Liberia’s connection would become operational after completion of the full ACE system, expected in the second quarter of 2012.

• 2011

  ACE cable landed in Monrovia

  [1]Cable Consortium of Liberiaen.wikipedia.org

  The submarine cable reached Monrovia on 3 November, creating Liberia’s first international submarine fiber-optic cable landing.

• 2010

  Consortium formed

  [1]Cable Consortium of Liberiaen.wikipedia.org

  Cable Consortium of Liberia was established as a public-private partnership to own and operate Liberia’s ACE cable landing point.

• 2010

  ACE construction and maintenance agreement signed

  [1]Cable Consortium of Liberiaen.wikipedia.org

  On 5 June, CCL signed the agreement governing Liberia’s participation in construction and maintenance of the Africa Coast to Europe cable system.

A national telecommunications infrastructure partnership focused on connecting Liberia to international submarine fiber-optic capacity and strengthening the country’s digital backbone.

• Submarine telecommunications infrastructure · 2011

  ACE cable landing point

  CCL’s principal documented asset and responsibility was Liberia’s landing facility for the Africa Coast to Europe submarine fiber-optic cable. The facility was intended to receive international cable capacity at Monrovia and connect it to domestic telecommunications networks. It was a national infrastructure installation rather than a retail product, supporting operators’ access to international bandwidth and helping improve the technical basis for Internet services in Liberia.

• Telecommunications capacity · 2012

  International fiber-optic connectivity

  Through Liberia’s participation in the ACE system, CCL was intended to make international fiber-optic capacity available to the Liberian telecommunications sector. The connection was expected to improve bandwidth and international connectivity compared with earlier reliance on alternatives to a domestic submarine cable landing. The available sources do not specify CCL’s later wholesale tariff structure, customer list or service-level arrangements.

• 2010

  Participation in the ACE submarine cable projectStrategy

  Background

  Liberia lacked a submarine fiber-optic cable landing and had not previously participated in other African cable projects. The consortium was established to provide a coordinated public-private vehicle for joining the ACE system.

  Action taken

  CCL signed the ACE construction and maintenance agreement and assumed responsibility for Liberia’s cable landing infrastructure. The stated Liberian share of the approximately US$700 million project was US$25 million.

  Aftermath

  The cable reached Monrovia in November 2011. The project was expected to improve international connectivity and facilitate the eventual relocation of .lr domain maintenance to Liberia, although the available material does not document later operational outcomes.

  Liberia's stated share of ACE project. US$25 million (2010 project agreement)

  Source

1. 1Cable Consortium of Liberiaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Best practices for building Internet capacity in Liberiagoogle.org