Paratus Botswana has confirmed the installation of the first independent fibre in Gaborone’s Central Business District, effectively linking up the local business community to its network.

According to a statement released to the media, the service provider initially invested in microwave infrastructure, creating an independent ring in Gaborone and extended that across the border into South Africa.

“By investing in fibre in Gaborone, Paratus Botswana is connecting critical areas in the city. The current deployment is the second phase, distributing fibre in all the major business and industrial areas in Gaborone and malls in the area. To date, Paratus has invested heavily in independent fibre connectivity in Botswana as a seamless add-on to its existing infrastructure backbone. This is an ongoing process to cover the business areas initially, giving businesses unmatched uptime via a quality connection,” reads an excerpt from the statement.

Country Managing Director of Paratus Botswana, Shawn Bruwer said: “It is incredibly satisfying to see the trenching and installation works taking place, knowing that this has been a vision that we have made a reality and that we can connect our customers directly to our network with fibre. We are proud of our achievement and the ability to offer business customers the network service they deserve and need.”

The Paratus Botswana fibre roll-out adds to the company’s existing infrastructure backbone and services, and the company claims 100% independent international connectivity in Botswana.

The fibre service will bolster the ever-increasing bandwidth and uptime requirements for businesses and allow for the delivery of uninterrupted services, it added.

“Paratus is aligned with the Government’s Botswana Vision 2036,” Bruwer added. “With the aim of transforming Botswana from an upper middle-income country to a high-income country, we’re working hard to help unleash unlimited growth and upliftment. Critically, the investment in fibre in Botswana is strategically important in further securing Botswana as a hub in the Southern African region. We are also, of course, closely working in line with Paratus group’s ambitious expansion plan throughout Africa.”

The company is aware of the increased competition vying for a share of Botswana’s telecommunications connectivity market, and believes the quicker it can install its fibre network, the better for its expansion plans- and specifically its target to double revenue within the next five years.

“Of course, there are other big players in the market who are also investing heavily in this space. Our aim is for Paratus to install fibre as quickly as we can. Our competitive advantage is that we are an independent network offering high quality, excellent service, exceptional speed and real value for money.”

Commenting on the group’s growth plans, Executive Chairman of Paratus, Barney Harmse said: “Our group’s vision is to transform Africa through exceptional digital infrastructure and customer service. Our objective is to double revenue within the next five years. Our plan for expansion and growth is through investing and deploying the best infrastructure as well as through mergers and acquisitions. We have carved the Paratus path across the continent with due care and attention. We are delivering Africa’s quality network. We were born in Africa, we know Africa. There are no limits and that’s what we offer our customers, limitless opportunities through connectivity.”