| |
|
The Ugandan government has ditched technical safeguards for proper construction and functioning of the multibillion national optic fibre backbone infrastructure, according to a report in the Daily Monitor. The original October 2006 turnkey contract between the government and Huawei Technologies of China has already been altered three times, the latest being on 18 August 2009, under which some provisions on quality standards have been removed. Key requirements dropped include pre-shipment inspection to certify quality of cables and other materials in countries of origin and a proviso to contain the cables in ducts conveyed through trenches at least 1,5 m deep from road surface. Officials have okayed a minimum trench depth of 0,8 m. A Uganda National Roads Authority spokesman said that at the very minimum, all utility/service providers laying underground infrastructure, should dig trenches 1,5 m deep from the road surface. |
