(Telecompaper) Orange and its subsidiaries have announced the commercial launch of Djoliba, the first pan-West African fibre backbone. It is based on a terrestrial fibre optic network coupled with undersea cables and aims to meet growing needs for connectivity in the region. It connects the capitals of Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal, each of which are natively interconnected with their domestic networks, centralising connectivity access for operators and companies.