(Ecofin Agency) - Pan-African internet service provider Paratus Group announced on Wednesday, March 23, the addition of the DRC to its terrestrial network and its expansion into that country. The announcement comes after Fast-Congo, a company created by Paratus and GBS, signed a 15-year leasing agreement with the Congolese government to activate, operate and maintain the Kinshasa-Muanda fiber network owned by Société Congolaise de Fibre Optique (SOCOF). 

"This is an extremely important strategic development for Paratus. We are not only uniquely qualified to open this fiber highway in DRC, but we’re also uniquely placed to connect the country to Angola, Zambia, and beyond via our network in the SADC [Ed. note: Southern African Development Community]," comments Rolf Mendelsohn, CTO of the group. 

The expansion is part of Paratus' plan to cover the whole of Africa to connect Africans with the whole world. In recent years, the company has made a series of investments in the development of its infrastructure. It recently invested $8.2 million in a data center, which will open in Namibia in August. This data center will be connected to Google's subsea cable, Equiano. For that purpose, the internet service provider built a landing station.   

Combined with other investments, the infrastructures reflect Paratus' efforts to strengthen its position in the African market as demand for broadband connection is growing rapidly.  

Through Fast-Congo, Paratus is entering a new market where it hopes it will gain a foothold by targeting both corporate and retail clients. Thanks to DRC's strategic location in Central Africa, the pan-African group could also provide its broadband services to neighboring countries while exploring new expansion opportunities in the region. 

Isaac K. Kassouwi