The FTTH Council Africa hosted its annual FTTH Council Africa Awards Ceremony during the FTTH Council Africa conference in Cape Town, South Africa.

Juanita Clark, CEO of the FTTH Council Africa:" For the FTTH Council Africa the clear winner is Mauritius Telecom."

"Mauritius Telecom, with strong support from the Mauritian government through their landmark Vision 2030 document and 2016-2017 National Budget, has shown that ubiquitous penetration is possible. It's target of almost 100% of homes having affordable access to download speeds of 100 Mbps by 2017 shows the value of strong partnership between government and its delivery partners."

"I applaud Mauritius Telecom and the Government of Mauritius for not only the development of a national broadband strategy but also the execution thereof. So often we see excellent broadband strategies announced, but they never materialise. Mauritius has shown us that it is possible to set goals, and achieve them. Soon almost every Mauritian will have access to affordable, high-quality broadband which will open new opportunities in education, healthcare and the economy of tomorrow." – Richard Came, President of the FTTH Council Africa concluded.

Mauritius is currently sitting at no 16 on the Global Ranking Index for fibre deployments globally making it the highest penetration of any African country. These figures were calculated in early June this year. If we look at Oct 2016 figures with 120k fibre deployed in the island out of 350,000 households, Mauritius is sitting at 33% fibre penetration.

"The Internet is changing the way we work, socialise, create and share information. Mauritius Telecom is proud to have been recognised by its fellow peers as the Operator of the Year 2016 and at the same time through this achievement, Mauritius has put Africa on the global scene in terms of fibre penetration. The Government of Mauritius and the CEO of Mauritius Telecom, Mr. Sherry Singh, must be credited for this achievement, as through bold initiatives ranging from national, financial and human capital perspective, has enabled to put in execution, the vision of a 100% fibred island by 2017. This achievement will be the bedrock on which will stand the economic development of Mauritius in the Information Age." - Rai Basgeet, CTO of Mauritius Telecom, upon receipt of Operator of the Year 2016 Award.