Angola Telecom has budgeted USD2.4 billion by 2013 to expand and upgrade its domestic fixed line network, according to reports in Reuters. Half of this initial investment will go to the first phase of the planned project, which will be the deployment of a 7,000 km fiber-optic backbone and the installation of 500,000 fixed local access connections, said company CEO Joao Manuel.

Manuel also suggested interest in Angola Telecom extending links with Portugal Telecom. Angola Telecom and Portugal Telecom jointly manage a small Angolan data transmission operator called Multitel.