A contract for a new Gozo-Malta fibre optic cable should be signed soon, Economy Minister Chris Cardona confirmed in Parliament.

Responding to a parliamentary question by MP Chris Said, he said that the Contracts Department was finalising administrative procedures which would allow it to sign the contract with the successful bidder, Elettra.

The journey to this stage has taken over four years. Funds for a feasibility study had been allocated in 2014, and the €250,000 government-commissioned report concluded that a second link between the islands could lure up to 200 high-skilled workers seeking better opportunities in IT, gaming and the digital creative industry.

Malta Enterprise then issued a call for tenders in December 2017 for the €3.5 million project, to be completed within nine months of the contract being signed.

The tender closed on March 8, 2018, with two bids: Elettra’s for €3.99 million, and Huawei’s for €3.75 million.

An appeal had been filed following the identification of the preferred bidder last August.

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

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