Dili, East Timor, 23 Sept – The chief executive of the Portugal Telecom group said Tuesday in Dili that the Portuguese group would invest over US$54 million in improving the telecommunications network in East Timor by the end of 2009.

Zeinal Bava said Wednesday in a press conference that
PT “is working on the 3G network so that within 24 months Timor can have access to mobile Internet as well as to fixed line.”

“We are seeking to bring the most advanced telecommunications technologies to East Timor. As well as laying an undersea cable, which makes it possible to stop depending on satellites for Internet access, we are going to double the number of mobile phone aerials by April of next year, to a total of 80,” Bava said, cited by Portuguese news agency Lusa.

The CEO of PT also said that “another measure outliend in PT’s strategic plan to create mass access to the Internet is to set up “community centres” a sort of cybercafé with public telephones, in which Timor Telecom want to involve private Timorese investors. (macauhub)