Pan-African technology group Liquid Intelligent Technologies’ subsidiary Liquid Dataport and fixed network operator Angola Telecom have established a new terrestrial fibre route from Luanda, in Angola, through the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe and Zambia, to Johannesburg, in South Africa.

The route, a significant addition to Liquid’s existing 110 000 km network, also provides seamless high-speed connectivity, at affordable costs, within other countries in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, or Comesa, region.

“We have made significant investments in our telecommunications sector over the last 25 years, which includes terrestrial, submarine and even satellite connectivity. We understand the crucial role played by public–private partnerships, and that is why we have new laws in place that support and offer attractive incentives for international players like Liquid Dataport that help drive our national focus towards the information technology-driven modernisation of Angola,” says Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication Minister Mário Oliveira.

While the route caters for the high demand from wholesale customers, Liquid Dataport partnered with Angola Telecom to provide enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises with access to high-speed connectivity and even direct connectivity to data centres in Johannesburg.

“There is a conscious drive towards making the Internet more popular, as currently the Internet penetration in Angola is only five-million people,” explains Angola Telecom CEO Adilson Dos Santos, noting that Angola Telecom and Liquid Dataport have been working towards a common goal over the past two years.

“Through our National Rural Telecommunication Plan, we want to ensure that connectivity is available to citizens in the remotest parts of the country. “We are excited to see the fruits of this partnership lead to the increased contribution of the information and communications technology sector to national gross domestic product.”