Telecommunications firm Paratus Group has announced its expansion into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
This coincides with the news that Paratus has won, together with DRC based Global Broadband Solution (GBS), a government tender to activate a 620-kilometre fibre-optic network link between Muanda, on the West Coast, to DRC capital city, Kinshasa.
Paratus and GBS have established FAST Congo to deliver, operate and maintain the network link in an exclusive 15-year license contract.
Paratus Seeks to Connect Africa
By adding DRC to its terrestrial network, Paratus Group claims it can now boast a unique and contiguous footprint in Africa, which includes offices in seven SADC countries, four Data Centers, five satellite teleports with 6,000 customer sites, the Google Equiano Cable landing station in Namibia, an extended network through satellite connectivity-focused service in more than 30 African countries, and international points of presence (PoPs) in UK, Europe and the USA.
Earlier this week, the DRC fibre link deal with FAST Congo was officially signed and announced by SOCOF (Societe Congolaise de Fibre Optique), the government entity established to develop telecommunications infrastructure and equipment in the DRC.
Paratus formed a consortium with GBS to create a strategic public-private partnership with SOCOF to activate, operate and maintain the fibre highway that was installed and funded by The World Bank.
The network spans the railway line between Muanda and Kinshasa which, en route, takes in six towns.
“This is an extremely important strategic development for Paratus. We are not only uniquely qualified to open this fibre highway in DRC, but we’re also uniquely placed to connect the country to Angola, Zambia and beyond via our own network in the SADC,” adds Paratus Group CTO, Rolf Mendelsohn.
“This presents great potential for the region’s economy and for quality connections and increased capacity to be offered as standard to businesses and consumers alike. We are very proud to be the lead company in making this happen.”
Edited by Luis Monzon
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