WORK is underway on a telecommunications network linking 54 African countries by undersea fiber optic cables encircling the continent. Proposals from potential suppliers are under consideration and construction of the 32000-kilometer-long cable will begin this year, said the statement from US company Africa One, which is overseeing the project. Laying of the cable will begin in 2001, and the network will be ready for service in 2002, Africa One president Patricia Bagnell said.