Precise details of the plan are sketchy at the moment however; Ecofin reports that the remarks were made on the sidelines during a signing ceremony relating to an agreement involving electronic payment terminals. However, the minister has been quoted as saying that a fourth cable will reinforce the country’s data capacities that are at present supported by three existing cables. One of these is the South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 4 (SEA-ME-WE 4) cable, which carries telecommunications between Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt, Italy, Tunisia, Algeria and France.
Medex cable, launched early last year and linking the Algerian internet network of optical fibre to the international network, giving Algeria connections to the US and Asia, across the Mediterranean. The third cable is the Orval/Alval linking Algiers, Oran, and Valencia in Spain. The announcement came a few weeks after major disruptions to internet connectivity in the country. These are far from uncommon, so it does seem more connectivity may be needed, though via which cable system is as yet unclear.