A project costing 13.6 million Euros has been launched to create a high-speed fiber optic Internet highway between Kosova and Albania.

The quality between the countries is currently low, and costs for online services are high, but this new project should reverse the two – raise quality and lower costs.

The Albanian Transmission System Operator put 9 million Euros toward the new connection, in conjunction with the Albanian Post which added 2.6 million Euros, and the Kosova Internet provider Kujtesa, which pledged 2 million Euros.

“The advantages of this technology are that, through the use of the optic fiber, it enables not to have electro-magnetic interference and increases the safety of data,” explained Ekrem Hoxha, chariman of Kosova’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.

“The connection through the optic fiber enables high-speed transfer and bigger capacities even in large distances, and finally, it also has more favorable prices,” said Hoxha.

The new technology will be replacing the previous connection between Kosova and Albania, which used communication through microwave links. This was a significantly less efficient technology, and finally the countries are able to do something about it.

Amir Rashica is one proponent of the change, as he is a professor of information technology at the private university, AAB in Kosova.

“I believe it is very important to create virtual communication networks with other cultures,” said Rashica.

The other cultures Rashica mentions include not only Kosova and Albania, but those of Macedonia, Serbia and others in the Western Balkans.

Nearly half of Albanians use the Internet, and the numbers keep rising, so the impact of this new connection is considerable.

Prime Minister of Kosova, Hashim Thaci, notes that as Kosova is a newer state, these investments in improving infrastructure are vital, and will contribute to increasing social welfare and creating new jobs in both countries.

Hoxha agreed, calling Kosova an “important telecommunication knot” which will benefit perhaps the most from this change.

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