admin
Business Reporter
THE multi-million 1 180 kilometre rail fibre optic project recently launched in Victoria Falls is set to reinforce Zimbabwe’s position as the telecommunications traffic hub for the region and Africa.
The first multi-million dollar rail fibre optic project invested by the international group, Bandwidth and Cloud Services (BCS), in partnership with DFA Zimbabwe, seeks to connect Zimbabwe and Africa with broadband services leveraging on rail infrastructure.
DFA Zimbabwe owns a 38 percent share in the 1 180km fibre network stretching from Beitbridge to Victoria Falls.
About 1 180 kilometres of fibre was laid along the national rail tracks using locomotive power pulling a 100-tonne plowing machine burying the fibre cable 1,2 metres underground.
The first phase of the project started in Beitbridge along the railway line past Rutenga, Somabhula, Bulawayo, and Hwange to Victoria Falls.
The second phase, which will commence early this year will extend the network from Somabhula to Harare via Gweru and from Bulawayo to Plumtree, as well as from Harare to Mutare.
In a statement, DFA Zimbabwe said an engineering and technical workforce from the Mauritius-headquartered BCS, have been deployed to work on the project, which started during the heat of the Covid-19 pandemic.
BCS group managing director, Mr Yonas Maru, said they anticipate that the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) will be connecting power at the 12 repeater sites along the railway where the long-haul transmission equipment will be hosted by February.
The build cost of the Beitbridge to Victoria Falls long-haul network infrastructure was over US$18 million and the next phase is expected to cost the same.
Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere, who recently commissioned the project in Victoria Falls, said the project is not only aimed at addressing the much-needed network diversity and redundancy in Zimbabwe but also providing connectivity solutions between South Africa, Zambia and SADC at large.
“This project demonstrates the desire by the Government to empower people through technology and the digital economy,” he said.
BCS is a wholesale carrier providing fibre connectivity solutions in Africa and came into Zimbabwe during the Covid-19 lockdown with the aim of connecting places that have no roads hence using the railway network.
Officials are optimistic that the project will create a more vibrant ICT ecosystem in Zimbabwe with many downstream benefits for the communities.
DFA Zimbabwe is a cost-effective open-access fibre infrastructure and connectivity provider that builds, installs, manages, and maintains a fibre network to transmit metro and long-haul telecommunications traffic.
The traffic is leased to its customers (telecommunication companies and internet service providers (ISPs)) using an open-access wholesale commercial model.
Online Reporter