Liquid Telecom, a Mauritius-based group, has built Africa's largest fibreoptic network stretching 15,000km across Southern, Eastern and Central Africa, and is now shifting its strategy towards linking homes and businesses to broad-band networks.
Nic Rudnick, chief executive of Liquid Telecom, says the company's main focus will be on access networks, such as fibre rings, that mobile operators can use to support the rollout of high-speed LTE broadband, and fibre links to homes and businesses.
Liquid Telecom plans to spend at least $250m in the next five years on this fibre rollout.
In Europe, Rudnick says the bulk of data is accessed using fixed-line internet connections, and "we don't believe Africa is any different."
While he admits internet usage will be driven by wireless devices, Rudnick says segments of the market that are particularly data hungry "need and want services with a greater throughput than you can experience using most wireless technology".
However, Rudnick says Liquid Telecom is still looking to expand its fibre network and is assessing greenfield projects and acquisitions in four African countries.
In September, Liquid Telecom integrated Kenya Data Networks into the group after buying a 61% stake in the loss-making company from South Africa's Altech Group.
Altech in turn took an 8.6% shareholding in Liquid Telecom. The largest shareholder remains Zimbabwean telecoms entrepreneur Strive Masiyiwa, through his South Africa-based
group Econet Wireless.
group Econet Wireless.
In September, the group launched East Africa's largest data centre, with 2,000m2 of carrier-neutral rack space in Nairobi.
"As we are rolling out our fibre connectivity solutions, the amount of data that has been carried across the region is obviously increasing exponentially," says Rudnick.
"We want to have as much of that data and processing capability as we can locally." Plans are already underway to build smaller data centres elsewhere in the region.
source: www.theafricareport.com
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