Wholesale telecommunications provider Botswana Fibre Networks (BoFiNet) plans to expand its business outside of Botswana’s borders.

The newly formed BoFiNet, which is government owned, is set to take over operations of managing backbone infrastructure for voice and data provision from Botswana Telecommunication Corporation (BTC).

Government plans to privatise BTC in 2014. But in the meantime, BTC has become a retailer of services while BoFiNeT has been created to specifically handle the wholesale infrastructure business.

BuddeComm research says it is regulatory reform, such as the move to privatise BTC, that has made Botswana one of the “most liberalised telecommunications markets in the region.”

And Kungo Mabogo, BoFiNet communications and marketing specialist, has said the company plans to break out of the increasingly competitive Botswana, which has a small population of just over 2 million, to target clients from across the globe.

"There are some international companies on our radar and we expect to make a signing very soon," Mabogo said.

Mabogo added that the company is negotiating with companies from neighbouring countries South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Sharing Mabogo’s sentiments is BoFiNet chief executive officer Mabua Mabua.

Mabua has said his company wants to become a global player.

"We aim to position Botswana amongst the best in Africa and the world," he said.

BoFiNet signed its first deal with Botswana mobile phone company Mascom Wireless and 4site Holdings, a local value added network (VAN) operator.

Mascom Wireless committed to work with BoFiNet for the next five years on a contract for the provision of international internet bandwidth worth P34 million, whilst 4site Holdings committed to two years of a 5Mbps offering to its customers at the value of P400,000.