Windhoek-based telecommunications firm Paratus Telecoms says it is the first 100% privately owned pan-African operator to turn on Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) in Namibia.

According to a statement by Paratus Telecoms, it has partnered with developers of Finkenstein Manor and Finkenstein Village to create the first Namibian digital village where residents will be able to leverage FTTH.

The telco says it has started to deploy fibre technology to 550 homes and "will be providing an all-inclusive turn-key service solution to residents."

Paratus Telecoms Group CEO Barney Harmse believes this is the first FTTH deployment in Africa for a privately owned Pan-African operator, built on own infrastructure.

"The entire solution is an end-to-end solution from Paratus Telecom, completely independent of any third-party infrastructure. Looking forward, we plan to invest a total of more than R150-million on infrastructure in Namibia over the next three years of which R100-million will be invested in fibre infrastructure," he explains.

Finkenstein Village and Manor developer Gerdus Burmeister says the fibre infrastructure will eventually be deployed to more than 1000 homes. "Compared to any other connectivity medium, fibre reigns supreme."

"Due to its inherent speed, capacity and reliability, fibre will now enable us to implement a fully comprehensive access control and security solution which will include CCTV on the estate - one of our primary objectives. Residents will now also be able to enjoy access to triple-play connectivity including voice, video and data solutions," he concludes.

In March research firm African Bandwidth Maps said FTTH is on the rise in Africa with new entrants and new business models seeing more households connected to fibre internet and gaining access to more services.