Pan-African telecom operator Paratus Group has deployed JET DUO PtMP dual-band solution from global wireless broadband provider RADWIN to boost wireless connectivity in Zambia.

According to a statement issued to the media, the solution incorporates 3GHz and 5GHz radios in one unit to deliver up to 1.5Gbps, and is targeted at SMEs and large corporations in the Southern African country.

RADWIN's certified partner Carmel Telecom CY was in charge of project design and delivery through its local Zambian distributor Beacon Telecom.

Paratus Country Manager Marius van Vuuren said: "Over time, our legacy 3.xGHz WiMAX network became heavily congested. Having used RADWIN JET and knowing the benefits, it made business sense to migrate WiMAX customers to JET DUO dual-band radio, so we could boost our network capacity and coverage."

"We serve SME customers on the 5.xGHz and use the 3.xGHz band to provide SLA services to large corporates using a single base station. Tower rentals have become more affordable since we mount only one base station. By moving everything to RADWIN JET, we now have one management platform for all base stations and subscriber units deployed across Zambia, ensuring better management, monitoring and support for our customers," he explained.

Beacon Telecom CTO Helit Bauberg added: "We have been working closely with Paratus Zambia for the past nine years and recommended JET DUO for this deployment from the get-go, knowing it will give Paratus the most flexible, cost effective solution they need to optimise their services and operations."

Peter Turvey, GM Middle East, South & East Africa, RADWIN said: "We're excited to work with Beacon Telecom to serve a forward-thinking operator such as Paratus and scale with them over the years as their network needs evolve. We're continuously injecting innovation into our product portfolio, and JET DUO addresses service providers' challenges and their need to boost capacity while reducing CAPEX and OPEX."