The investment will address the digital divide in Namibia and will accelerate the company’s digital transformation journey.
The state-owned telco referenced a report from World Bank Group which highlighted the need for better connectivity in the African country.
This investment will be made across a span of five years and the operator will work to modernise its national backbone for both fixed and mobile networks.
Telecom Namibia gave around US$5 million for the co-landing of the Google Equiano submarine cable, in partnership with Paratus, which landed on July 1, 2022.
These cables, Telecom Namibia says, will address its international connectivity needs and gears the country towards 4IR, a revolution that will be driven by the growing need for data.
The company adds that it is positioning Namibia as a regional ICT hub for landlocked countries such as Botswana, Zambia, Malawi and the DRC.
This is in line with its projected capacity demands to enable digital transformation in sectors such as logistics and trade.
The economy saw major benefits from the landing of the first submarine cable in the country: the West Africa Cable System (WACS) which landed in February 2011.
WACS enabled internet content utilisation to grow at an average of 50% per annum.
The next phase of Telecom Namibia’s plan is to accelerate the rollout of fibre to pass and connect thousands of homes in the country with packages that start at 4Mbps and up to 50Mbps.
