Paratus adds 600km to fibre network

Paratus Namibia has expanded its fibre network by nearly 600 kilometres over the past year, taking its total network to more than 5 000 kilometres as the telecommunications company steps up investment in the country's connectivity infrastructure.

The expansion forms part of a broader infrastructure programme aimed at increasing network capacity, improving reliability and extending access to high-speed connectivity across Namibia.

While Namibia trails some Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, including South Africa and Mauritius, in certain telecommunications indicators, the country performs above the African average in several infrastructure-related measures, according to the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) ICT Development Index.

Paratus Namibia is among the companies investing in this infrastructure, with its managing director, Andrew Hall, saying the latest fibre expansion reflects the scale of the company's ongoing network development.

"The 595 kilometres of fibre we added in the past year is a good indication of the scale at which we are building. That said, a strong and resilient network is about much more than fibre alone. It means having different technologies, alternative routes and sufficient capacity so that customers are not dependent on a single point of connection," Hall said.

One of the company's largest investments has been the rollout of its mobile network, which represents an investment of N$600 million over the past 24 months.

The network uses current-generation technology rather than legacy infrastructure and is being expanded nationally to increase coverage and capacity, while extending Paratus services to more customers.

The company's connectivity infrastructure also extends beyond Namibia's borders.

Paratus has access to the Equiano and West Africa Cable System (WACS) submarine cable networks along Africa's west coast and serves as the landing partner for Equiano in Namibia.

Its Trans-Kalahari fibre route connects Windhoek to Johannesburg, providing an alternative international route and access to submarine cable systems along Africa's east coast, including SEACOM.

Within Namibia, the company has also built redundancy into its network by using two backhaul providers to connect its points of presence. Its own infrastructure is predominantly used as the primary route, with an independent provider serving as the secondary route.

Hall said network resilience was becoming increasingly important as businesses, households and public services relied more heavily on digital connectivity.

"Businesses cannot afford to lose access to the systems and applications they depend on every day. The same is increasingly true for households and communities. Our job is to ensure the infrastructure behind any connection is strong enough, diverse enough and has the capacity to keep pace with demand," he said.

The next phase of the company's infrastructure programme will include further expansion of its national mobile network, a significant capacity upgrade to its point-to-multipoint fixed wireless network, continued fibre rollout and the expansion of its second data hall.

Paratus said it planned to invest millions of Namibian dollars over the next few years to extend its network footprint, increase capacity and strengthen infrastructure resilience.