Pan-African telecoms group, Liquid Telecom is eying expansion in North America and Europe after partnering with Zayo, a global provider of communications infrastructure.

In a statement, the companies say the partnership will see Liquid Telecom and Zayo leveraging existing networks for many of their customers who have operations in North America and Europe in addition to their African operations.

“We have long been committed to building Africa's digital future, and know that for African companies to be competitive, they have to be a part of the global digital economy. This strategic partnership will assist many of our African customers who are looking to extend into operations beyond Africa, as well as those customers who already have operations in Europe and the US,” says Liquid Telecom's group chief executive officer, Nic Rudnick.

This partnership will see both companies adding value for their customers by utilising each other's network reach, the organisations say, adding that the partnership will also allow Zayo's customers to tap into the connectivity that Liquid Telecom has built across the African continent through Zayo’s self-service platform, Tranzact.

“This partnership demonstrates Zayo’s commitment to expanding our footprint, and our ability to deliver bandwidth wherever and whenever customers require it,” says Jesper Aagaard, managing director of Europe at Zayo Group.

“We are excited to bring Zayo’s global reach to Africa, enabling access into key locations in North America and Europe. Our innovative Tranzact platform is a key tool for this access, as it integrates bandwidth into an ‘online shopping’ experience, making purchasing and managing bandwidth easy to navigate and understand.”

The companies note that as Africa continues to establish itself as an increasingly important market in the global ecosystem, this partnership allows Zayo the opportunity to tap into Liquid Telecom’s expansive network to key locations around the continent and bring seamless connectivity to Zayo’s customers across the globe.

“Our customers are at the very core of our operations, and this partnership will be the first of many as we continue in our endeavours to become a world-class digital services provider in Africa and beyond,” concludes Rudnick.