Sundaymail Editor
Online Reporter
Information and communication technology solutions provider Dandemutande announced a US$8 million deal with Fibre Connections to jointly construct a long-haul fibre optic backbone of approximately 891km along the Beitbridge-Harare railway network.
Fibre Connections is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group (BCS).
The investment will enable Dandemutande to significantly expand its footprint in the provision of connectivity and information technology services in the country.
Dandemutande chief executive officer Mr Never Ncube said the investment is a reflection of the company’s commitment to future-proof solutions.
“We have made an investment of US$5 million for the backhaul, and will invest about US$3 million in metro fibre in cities that the backhaul is passing through, to modernise and upgrade our network, thereby ensuring that the platform is future-ready to meet customer needs,” he said.
“We will split the project into two phases: The first phase being the 531km of optic fibre from Beitbridge-Somabhula-Bulawayo, which was launched in December 2022; with the Victoria Falls leg and the second phase, being the 360km of optic fibre between Somabhula and Harare, will be completed end of February this year.”
BCS managing director Mr Yonas Maru said: “BCS Group and Dandemutande mutually funded capital expenditure for fibre construction and each party owns a percentage of the fibre cores and shares in proportion to the cost of fibre maintenance.”
Online Reporter