(L to R) MD of Paratus Namibia, Andrew Hall and MD of Ongos Connect, Americo de Almeida.

Paratus Namibia has secured a contract to serve as tech infrastructure partner and roll out fibre connectivity to 11,000 new residents in Ongos Valley, said to be Namibia’s first smart city development.

This after Paratus signed a commercial connectivity agreement with Ongos Connectivity, the culmination of a two-year planning process.

According to a statement released to the media, Paratus has been working on building the infrastructure (the point of presence and backhauls) to provide the necessary fibre connectivity for residents.

As part of the agreement, all Ongos Valley residents will receive 1GB free data per month for the first five years of residence.

Ongos Connect MD Americo de Almeida said: “The very essence of a smart city is connectivity. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the need to have reliable connectivity with each other and with the world. The ability for children to access educational information from the comfort of their homes is important. Our choice of partner in delivering that connectivity was therefore key and the reason why we have been working with Paratus for the past couple of years. For Ongos Valley to be a truly smart city, we must have every home connected to fibre. We look forward to working with Paratus in the next phase of building the commercial and support services sector of the Ongos Valley vision.”

Andrew Hall, Paratus Namibia MD, added: “After two years of working on this with Ongos Connect during the construction phase, we are now excited to be able to announce the collaboration officially. We are proud to have been selected as the partner of choice in delivering an unlimited, high speed, secure and quality connection to Ongos Valley residents. And this is just the beginning of an exciting journey. Ongos Valley is the future and we’re delighted to be part of that future.”

Ongos Valley is going to be unique smart and green city located in the north-western corridor and 14 kilometres from Windhoek’s Central Business District.

As a smart city, Ongos Valley has been designed to derive shared benefit from technology and infrastructure development whereby technology and data informs the efficient management of resources and assets.

Fibre connectivity is provided to every home and business with services being integrated so that they are managed at optimum and affordable levels for all.

At Ongos Valley, the first phase involves the building of around 4,500 homes and supporting infrastructure. The following phases will see the building of another 24,000 homes, 21 schools, parkways, greenways, and commercial centres.

“Critically, Ongos Valley is being built by Namibians for Namibians to provide a place where value for money, quality, shared spaces, and green living are the governing principles for the residents to enjoy a healthier and happier living environment,” the companies have stated.