The fibre optic cable from Gozo to Malta will be routed through trenches along the side of the road, and will not require any streets being dug up, Transport Minister Ian Borg reassured on Wednesday.

Replying to a parliamentary question by MP Chris Said, he said that the application for the laying of the cable had been submitted to the Planning Authority, and that this had already been screened. It now was at the validation stage - which must be concluded within 100 days, he said.

Read: Tender for €3.5m fibre optic link with Gozo

Malta Enterprise issued a call  a few weeks go for tenders for the €3.5 million project, to be completed within nine months of the contract being signed.

The link will take the form of a submarine part and land-based sections on both the Malta and Gozo ends.

The proposed route commences at the Xewkija industrial estate, proceeds 3.6 kilometres to the shore at Tal-Fessej, limits of Mġarr ix-Xini, then under water for a distance of 13 kilometres, landing at Golden Bay before terminating 4.3 kilometres away at Żebbiegħ.

In order to minimise the extent of disturbance both on the rocky foreshore and shore end at Mġarr ix-Xini, it is being proposed to use an unutilised pipeline as the cable duct, with the end emerging into the water around 10 metres below sea level.

The project, financed by the government, is aimed at providing security and to cater for future growth.