Liquid Telecom has announced that the construction of its new fibre-optic link between Johannesburg and Zimbabwe, which commenced three months ago, is progressing well. The new 521km link connects to Liquid’s existing pan-African fibre network and will carry much needed capacity from the influx of submarine cables docking in South Africa inland. Liquid, which was established in 2003 as a subsidiary of the Econet Wireless Group, claims to preside over the ‘largest fibre network in Southern Africa’, which provides backhaul between most urban areas and last mile connectivity in the main cities of Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa. Further, the company claims that its network is the first to cross country borders and covers some of the most challenging parts of the world where no fixed network has existed before; many of these areas are not covered by wireless or satellite either.
Nic Rudnick, CEO of Liquid Telecom, commented: ‘There are two other fibre networks above Johannesburg, which we were using, but service levels were disappointing. By building and owning our own infrastructure we can guarantee quality, reliability and availability. Our fibre network is the most extensive in Southern Africa. It is increasing the prosperity of ordinary Africans and the businesses which serve and employ them. We are an ambitious well-funded company committed to investing our profits into expanding our fibre network still further.’