Telehouse operational by March

Fergus Innes, vice-president of sales in Europe for Hibernia Atlantic the company behind the transatlantic project, said he expected the telehouse to be transferred to the firm in February for testing.

"The exterior of the building is currently being built by ILEX and is expected to be handed over to Hibernia next month for testing and other technical requirements," he said.

Almost a year has passed since Mr Innes' colleague Derek Bullock, vice-president of network operations Hibernia Atlantic, was drafted in to field questions from the Stormont Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment on Project Kelvin.

"The tele-house, or cable landing station, that we will put in will be a containerised solution. It is equivalent to six 40-foot containers. It will have no employees. No one will be employed there to directly manage it; it will be remotely operated. It will be a highly secure facility,"he said.

"Carriers in the region will connect into the tele-house, in the same way that they will connect into every single point of presence in every other town. Carriers will connect where they have the closest access.

"It is a container. That is a very popular method of construction, because it is convenient and flexible. We are physically limited with regard to where the cable can be brought onshore."

Mr Innes clarified this description saying that the Londonderry telehouse building will be a permanent fixture: foundations and steel fixtures are already in place at the Fort George site.

"The telehouse will be a brick building with a high level of security," he said, adding it was up to areas with a Point of Presence (POP) on the Project Kelvin network to canvass for direct investment from telecommunications companies.

"Interest to date has been exciting. However, the project is not yet completed and it would not be fitting, commercially, to discuss any ongoing communication.

"It is also up to each POP location to sell Northern Ireland. This is a fantastic infrastructure and it will draw new companies to Northern Ireland and the border counties."

Meanwhile a Business Beyond Borders Seminar will take place onFriday, January 22, in the Inishowen Gateway Hotel, Buncrana, which will focus on opportunities for ICT, digital and creative industries, green and renewable energies, super E-homes and the ocean marine sectors.