HARARE, Jul 3 (NewsDay Live)- One of Zesa's subsidiaries, Powertel Communications has partnered with telecommunications and network services provider Paratus Zimbabwe to launch the first phase of a high-capacity fibre optic corridor linking Zimbabwe with Botswana in a move set to enhance regional digital connectivity.
The companies said the first operational section of the project, stretching between Plumtree and Bulawayo, is now live and carry traffic under a public-private partnership (PPP) signed in June last year.
The project, once completed, will connect Zimbabwe to Botswana, Zambia, South Africa through a high-capacity digital corridor designed to improve cross-border connectivity and support economic growth.
Powertel Communications managing director Willard Nyagwande said the project was a significant milestone for the company and Zimbabwe's telecommunications sector.
“This is a defining moment for Powertel as the project is planned, built, owned and operated by Powertel as the licensed national carrier under POTRAZ and the telecommunications arm of ZESA,” Nyagwande said.
He said the Indefeasible Right of Use (IRU) agreement with Paratus had enabled the project to attract investment while allowing Powertel to retain operational control of the infrastructure.
Paratus Group chief commercial officer Martin Cox said the live deployment marks the fulfilment of the partnership's initial vision.
“This is about far more than fibre infrastructure. It is about building the digital foundations that enable economic growth, regional integration and improved access to world-class connectivity,” Cox said.
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The fibre route is operating with an initial traffic capacity of 800 gigabits per second using Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) technology capable of supporting more than 10 terabits per second as demand increases.
The second phase of the project, which will extend the corridor from Bulawayo to Livingstone in Zambia, is under construction and is expected to be commissioned in September this year, completing the strategic Botswana-Zimbabwe-Zambia digital corridor.
