Paratus to establish fiber route linking Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia

Paratus Botswana is set to enhance regional connectivity with the launch of the SADC Highway, a new fiber route connecting Gaborone to Livingstone via Zimbabwe.

The first section, which spans approximately 500km from Gaborone to Plumtree, is expected to be completed by February 2025.

This initiative, part of the Paratus Group's Southern Continental Agenda, aims to improve rural network coverage and reduce costs for smaller providers by delivering up to 11 terabits of new capacity.

The company said the route will provide critical redundancy for existing connections through South Africa and offer lower latencies than traditional paths.

"The SADC Highway also represents Paratus Botswana's fourth fiber route: two into South Africa, one into Namibia, and very soon this new route into Zimbabwe and Zambia. This cements our position in Southern Africa and Botswana as a communications hub not only due to the geographic location but also to the foresight by Paratus in addressing regional needs," said Paratus Botswana's Country MD Shawn Bruwer.

He noted that the project is eagerly anticipated, with several operators already securing capacity.

This development is Paratus' fourth fiber route, bolstering its status as a communications hub in Southern Africa and contributing to economic diversification in Botswana.

Related:Paratus Botswana brings fiber to Gaborone CBD

Furthermore, by connecting to the Equiano subsea cable, the SADC Highway will stimulate growth and enhance connectivity across the continent.

Paratus' African reach

Paratus operates in seven African countries – Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia – and its extended network provides satellite connectivity service in more than 35 African countries. The group's footprint extends beyond Africa to international points of presence (PoPs) in the UK, Europe and the US.

Paratus Group's connectivity routes in Africa. (Source: Paratus Group)

In April 2024, the Paratus Group launched what it calls the fastest "fiber express route" from Johannesburg, South Africa, to Europe, making use of Google's Equiano undersea cable infrastructure.

In October 2023, the company announced the launch of two cross-border fiber links between Mozambique and South Africa.

In September 2023, Paratus Group also announced it had signed a reseller agreement to provide Starlink's satellite Internet services across Africa.

Paratus Botswana completed its metro fiber ring around the capital of Gaborone in June 2023, providing high-speed connectivity to businesses and individuals in the area.

In November 2022, Paratus Group signed a multi-year deal with OneWeb to build a satellite gateway in Angola's capital Luanda. It is the first of several planned OneWeb gateways in Africa and will provide low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite services to several countries in the region.