English (UK) 
简体中文(中国) According to Paratus, Paratus and Telecom Namibia have signed an unprecedented agreement to land the Equiano subsea cable in Namibia. Paratus and Telecom Namibia co-invest on the Equiano subsea cable project, while Paratus is the landing party. The Equiano subsea cable will provide Namibia with the necessary redundancy.
Paratus is the landing party for the Namibia branch of Equiano. Paratus is a leading pan-African full-service network operator with operations in six SADC countries, including Angola, Bostwana, Mozanbique, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia. Its extended network provides a satellite connectivity-focused service in 22 African countries and an additional 4000 satellite connections across the continent. The additional capacity offered by the Equiano cable, the largest on the African continent, further strengthens the Paratus SADC footprint and European network connection, as well as the operator’s long-term growth strategy.
There is now only one international subsea cable landing in Namibia. In 2011, Telecom Namibia landed the West Africa Cable System (WACS) at Swakopmund CLS in Namibia. Telecom Namibia connected Namibia by terrestrial fibre optic cables to Angola, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa. Notably, Telecom Namibia has linked the land-locked countries of Zambia and Botswana to the West Africa Cable System (WACS). Besides, Telecom Namibia became a shareholder in the SAT-3 submarine cable in 1999. But the SAT-3 doesn't have a landing point in Namibia. It lands in Angola and South Africa, neighboring to Namibia.
The increased capacity from the Equiano cable will provide Namibia with the necessary redundancy as a connectivity backup, a requirement that became evident when WACS & SAT3 subsea cable outages were experienced by various operators recently and which resulted in significant Internet downtime and adverse effects for those businesses in Namibia and the SADC that did not have redundant connectivity solutions.
Paratus and Telecom Namibia are co-investing on the Equiano subsea cable project. According to Paratus, Paratus and Telecom Namibia have made a significant investment in landing the Equiano cable in Namibia.
Paratus also concluded agreement with private licensed operator and new Namibian market entrant Demshi Investment Holdings as a significant capacity investor. Demshi's investment in the Equiano cable capacity means that they will be able to offer their clients international internet capacity, a much-needed diversified route, security of supply and unmatched quality of service. Demshi is looking forward to participating in a bright future of connectivity in Namibia.
The co-operation between Paratus and Telecom Namibia as well as Demshi reflects the spirit and objectives of the Communications Act, as envisioned by the Namibian government. Collaboration by local operators is proving that the benefits of cooperation are far-reaching not only for customers but also for the entire ICT market in Namibia and beyond.
The Namibia cable landing station for Equiano cable is scheduled to be completed in the latter part of 2021, while the Equiano cable system is expected to land in the second half of 2022.
