Read time: 3 minutes

BoFiNet partners Ribbon Communications to bolster backbone

Botswana’s wholesale provider of national and international telecommunications infrastructure company Botswana Fibre Networks (BoFiNeT) has partnered with US-based Ribbon Communications Inc. to upgrade and enhance its national backbone network.

Ribbon will provide BoFiNet with a multi-terabit optical network that combines DWDM transport and OTN switching.

The solution is expected to give BoFiNet a fully programmable optical network that supports multiple-routing resiliency and dynamic restoration across its pan-national optical transit network.

The network boasts a capacity of 48 channels at 200G per channel with an easy path to upgrade to 400G as traffic demand increases.

Lior Tourgeman, Ribbon’s VP Sales, Africa, said, “The enhanced capacity, flexibility and resiliency enables BoFiNet to support service providers with a broad variety of needs, as it continues to realize its vision to be a leader in the continent’s digital transformation.”

Ribbon Communications delivers communications software, IP and optical networking solutions to service providers, enterprises and critical infrastructure sectors globally.

Mpho Koolese, BoFiNet Technical Executive, said, “Ribbon’s solution gives us the flexibility to provide our customers with the connectivity they need today, the resilience and reliability to guarantee those services, and the capacity to grow and modernise, supporting their needs both now and well into the future.”

Koolese said the development will also support BoFiNet’s strategy to engage the international market.

“Our backbone network is not only vital for service providers in Botswana, but also handles an enormous amount of international traffic, playing a crucial role in both Pan-African and global connectivity for the entire country.”

BoFiNet’s backbone network upgrade supports its overall market strategy and follows the recent roll out of an FTTx network covering 11 major locations. It is spread across over 1900 sites in Gaborone, Francistown, Maun, Kasane, Serowe, Selibe Phikwe, Bobonong, Palapye, Mogoditshane and Tsabong.

Daily newsletter