DRC – Paratus Group, a pan-African internet service provider, has confirmed its expansion into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
By adding DRC to its terrestrial network, Paratus Group now boasts a unique and contiguous footprint in Africa.
Paratus has offices in seven SADC countries; four data centres; five satellite teleports with 6 000 customer sites; the Google Equiano Cable landing station in Namibia; an extended network through satellite connectivity-focused service in more than 30 African countries; and international points of presence (PoPs) in UK, Europe and the USA.
“This is an extremely important strategic development for Paratus. We are not only uniquely qualified to open this fiber highway in DRC, but we’re also uniquely placed to connect the country to Angola, Zambia, and beyond via our network in the SADC [Southern African Development Community],” comments Rolf Mendelsohn, CTO of the group.
The announcement comes after Fast-Congo, a company created by Paratus and Global Broadband Solution (GBS) – an expert company in the design and supply of specialised solutions in the field of telecommunications, signed a 15-year leasing agreement with the Congolese government to activate, operate and maintain the Kinshasa-Muanda fiber network owned by Société Congolaise de Fibre Optique (SOCOF).
“We have already started work on installing the necessary equipment to expedite the fibre optic network’s activation,” the Managing Director of FAST Congo, Francois-Xavier Kabemba added.
“As our company name implies, we are committed to delivering fast, secure, quality network connections to the people and businesses of DRC so that they may benefit from the unlimited opportunities offered by fibre.”
Through Fast-Congo, Paratus is entering a new market where it hopes it will gain a foothold by targeting both corporate and retail clients.
Thanks to DRC’s strategic location in Central Africa, the pan-African group could also provide its broadband services to neighbouring countries while exploring new expansion opportunities in the region.
The expansion is part of Paratus’ plan to cover the whole of Africa to connect Africans with the whole world. In recent years, the company has made a series of investments in the development of its infrastructure.
It recently invested US$8.2 million in a data center, which will open in Namibia in August. This data center will be connected to Google’s subsea cable, Equiano. For that purpose, the internet service provider built a landing station.
Combined with other investments, the infrastructures reflect Paratus’ efforts to strengthen its position in the African market as demand for broadband connection is growing rapidly.
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