Telecom Namibia is embarking on a network improvement programme to overhaul ageing infrastructure and tackle a spike in vandalism.
The national telco revealed it suffered more than 80 incidents between February and May 2026, affecting customers across several areas in the country.
The damage caused interruptions and slower network performance, impacting both fixed and mobile services nationwide.
To address these challenges, the first phase of the initiative includes replacing critical network equipment that has reached end of life.
It will also focus on upgrading the national backbone network from multiple 10Gbps links to multiple 100Gbps links, significantly increasing network capacity.
One of the key measures is a strategic partnership agreement with Demshi Investment Holdings, a fibre network operator, to advance national digital infrastructure and broadband connectivity.
The partnership will focus on rolling out fibre in areas frequently targeted by copper thieves and vandals.
Stanley Shanapinda, CEO of Telecom Namibia, highlighted the strategic importance of the agreement.
“This partnership represents a strong alignment of vision and strategy between Telecom Namibia and Demshi. As we fast-track our fibre rollout, we are actively addressing the challenges of copper theft by transitioning to fibre infrastructure, particularly in high-risk areas.”
Shanapinda said the move will also enable the operator to deliver services such as cloud PABX for businesses, alongside high-speed connectivity for residential customers.
The broader strategy also includes expanding and modernising international connectivity gateways, as well as upgrading mobile core infrastructure that supports voice, SMS and mobile data services.
Telecom Namibia said these initiatives are expected to deliver noticeable improvements in network stability across major centres, reduce the frequency of major service outages, enhance internet performance and improve fault restoration times by October this year.
The company said it will provide regular updates on the progress of the improvement programme.
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