An estimated $25.5 million contract has been signed by the UK's STC for the installation of the KAFOS telecommunications network in the western Black Sea. The project is the second of two telecommunications projects planned to develop the Black Sea Economic (BSEC) zone (MEED 6:1:95).

The contract calls for STC to lay a 500-kilometre fibre optic network between Mangalia in Romania, Varna in Bulgaria, and Istanbul. It will provide a total of about 24,000 lines, with 8,000 lines on each side of the triangle connecting the three locations, as well as an intermediate connecting station in Turkey. Financing will come from the countries involved in the project.

A group including France's Alcatel, AT&T of the US and Italy's Maristel was awarded a contract valued at $125 million in July for the first project to link Italy, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia (MEED 12:8:94).