Georgian telecommunications provider Caucasus Online has signed a contract with Tyco Telecommunications to construct an undersea fibre-optic system. Tyco will construct a 1,100 km trans-Black Sea undersea fibre optic cable system connecting the Republic of Georgia and Bulgaria. The system will serve Georgian markets by providing direct access to Western Europe via an undersea fibre-optic link. The system will be comprised of a two fibre-pair point-to-point link connecting the main Georgian port of Poti with the Bulgarian coastal city of Varna.
Onward connectivity from Poti to Tbilisi, Georgia and the rest of the Caucasus region will be provided on the Caucasus Online terrestrial network. Caucasus Online is developing a terrestrial link from Varna to Sophia, Bulgaria where it will connect to the rest of Europe through service agreements with international carriers. Tyco Telecommunications expects to deliver the system in the fall of 2008.
