A paratus and Meta announce an investment to build 900km open access metropolitan fiber optic networks in Zambia to improve high quality connectivity in underserved communities in ten Zambian cities and towns.
Paratus will own, build and operate the network to provide wholesale services to mobile network operators and Internet service providers. Construction will create approximately 500 jobs for local communities, improve Paratus' infrastructure and help them provide more affordable services and better coverage. The network will also connect to Paratus' neutral data center in Lusaka, where Paratus can serve local businesses directly with high quality connectivity.
This first phase will bring fiber to six cities by January 2023. The second phase will connect four cities before the end of 2023.
Marius van Vuuren, an executive at Paratus in Zambia says the work has already begun. “Our aim is to complete the first 280 km by November and activate it in early January.”
“This is a significant relationship for Paratus not only because of its importance to Zambia's economy, but also because we will be helping to provide millions of people and hundreds of businesses with the opportunity to connect to the internet via a faster. and safer fiber network,” Marius van Vuuren.
According to Grupo Paratus CEO Schalk Erasmus, “this intervention is very much in line with Paratus' strategy to transform Africa through exceptional digital infrastructure and customer service. We have already made significant investments in our Zambian network, such as our fiber link from Lusaka to Chirundu and our own state-of-the-art data center in Lusaka to host content locally. And we are also working on a parallel project to link the metropolitan networks of several cities in Zambia. We are very proud that Meta has recognized this commitment and is supporting us with this investment.”
Nomonde Gongxeka-Seopa, Head of Public Policy at Meta for Southern Africa, added that, “These metropolitan networks are essential to build digital communities and help businesses evolve, especially in poorly connected communities. Paratus has already built fiber in many parts of Zambia and this relationship will help extend its good work. It is good news for Zambia.”
To Paratus is one of Africa's quality networks. Looking to the future, the group's investment in infrastructure underscores its long-term commitment to transforming Africa through exceptional digital infrastructure and customer service. Paratus is managed by an operational and professional team in seven African countries – Angola, Botswana, DRC, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia.
