Afinis combines CWC’s Divona and Connecteo businesses, both operated by CWC subsidiary Monaco Telecom. Afinis will service major enterprises across western and central Africa in markets such as mining, oil and gas and banking, as well as other telecoms operators. It said these industries are among the biggest in Africa, and are set to contribute hugely to growth across the region.
Reda El Mejjad, CEO of Monaco Telecom International, explained that while the whole telecoms sector is growing in Africa, the main opportunities at present are to be found in enterprise. “The top enterprises are expanding rapidly on the continent and abroad,” he said. “For example, one of our customers is expanding by acquiring two or three companies every year.”
Africa’s overall economy is expected to gain strength over the next few years following the trajectory of emerging markets in Asia. The IMF has predicted that seven out of the 10 fastest growing global economies over the next five years will be African. Th is growth, said El Mejjad, will mean increased demand for network services and infrastructure.
CWC’s African satellite and fibre-optic network consists of three ground-based teleports connected to seven satellites and a multi-layer protocol label switching (MPLS) network. The network will allow access to the more remote areas of central Africa where fibre is unable to reach, said the company.
El Mejjad added: “Market growth means customer expectations are more sophisticated in terms of quality and level of service. The arrival of fibre across the continent will further help to connect central Africa.”
