Luanda, Angola, 24 Nov – Angola Telecom, the west African country’s state telecommunications carrier, has said it will begin providing a free Internet service and will widen its fiber optic and telephone line network.

For director Manuel Dias, the free Internet service, made available within the scope of the commemorations of 30 years of Angolan independence, is aimed at “making Internet access a commonplace product, as is the case in several parts of the world.”

The product will allow any person with a personal computer and access to a fixed telephone line to hook up to the Internet, the first time this has been possible in Angola.

The company’s fiber optic network will be widened to link the provinces of Huíla and Namibe, in the south of Angola, Angola Telecom said.

Another 27,000 telephone lines will also be added to the network in the provinces of Cunene, Cuando-Cubango, Namibe, Huíla and Lunda-Sul, Manuel Dias said. (macauhub)