Broadband connectivity provider, Paratus Africa, has pumped about $6 million into the development of an optical fiber network through Botswana. Managing director, Shawn Bruwer, stated that the brand new infrastructure will further connect all of the country’s main industrial and trade regions as the project is 98% completed.
He announced that once operational, it “will give businesses unmatched uptime via a quality connection, particularly at a time when network capacity is under pressure owing to remote working […] We already have a 100% independent microwave network and international connection and from now on, fiber will bolster the increasing need for bandwidth […] adding a compelling additional layer to our services, allowing us to provide unlimited bandwidth and uninterrupted service regardless of the environmental pressures in which we operate.”
Botswana’s data segment has regained interest since 2019. Mobile broadband subscriptions increased by more than 16%, from 1,752,547 customers to over 2 million, whereas fixed broadband subscriptions, operated by 31 providers, increased by more than 46%, from 18,977 subscribers to more than 27,000 subscribers, signalling high competition in the Botswana telecom market.
Paratus’s investments seek to strengthen its presence in the market. The company also plans to contribute to the country's digital development, making it a hub for the Southern African sub-region.