Paratus & PowerTel Ink Deal to Weave High-Capacity Fibre Across Zimbabwe

Paratus Zimbabwe , a subsidiary of the Paratus Group , has announced a significant Indefeasible Rights of Use (IRU) agreement with PowerTel Communications , a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) . This landmark partnership is set to revolutionize Zimbabwe’s digital landscape by launching a new high-capacity national fiber network.

The collaboration will see both entities making equal investments in the deployment of advanced fibre infrastructure, creating a robust, long-distance network across Zimbabwe. Crucially, this initiative also includes the establishment of vital cross-border links to Zimbabwe’s neighboring countries. The initial phase of this ambitious rollout, slated for completion within the next six months, will connect key locations including Plumtree, Bulawayo, and Livingstone.

PowerTel Communications, licensed to operate an optic fibre backbone network, will combine its established presence with Paratus Zimbabwe, which recently secured its communications license in the country earlier this year.

“As you know, according to our vision, 2030, we are moving towards a digital economy. This is part of the strategy to make sure that by 2030 we have a digital economy by upgrading the network. But the catchy thing of this agreement is that we are going to bring, in fact we are now bringing high speed, very cheap, affordable internet. Internet will be sort of for free if you come to PowerTel because of this upgraded network. We’ll be able to carry high volumes of bandwidth or internet, if you want to call it, into Zimbabwe because of this agreement.”

–Willard Nyagwande, Acting MD, PowerTel Communications.

He expressed pride in working with Paratus Zimbabwe to create a resilient national long-distance backbone.

 “Paratus Zimbabwe received its license from Paratus in January this year. So, this is the first step for us operationalizing Paratus Zimbabwe here. It’s a joint venture that leverages the strength of Powertel’s network assets and also the technical know-how and knowledge that we can bring to this partnership and also bringing world-class equipment to provide terabits of capacity into Zimbabwe and also transiting Zimbabwe up to the countries north, in Zambia and up to Congo. We’re also licensed in many countries in Southern Africa: Angola, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Malawi. So, we’re licensed, and we have operations in all of the neighboring countries around Zimbabwe, so it’s a very natural place for us to invest, and we’re very excited with this partnership.”

–Martin Cox, Chief Commercial Officer, Paratus Group. 

The Paratus Group positions itself at the forefront of Africa’s digital revolution, committed to building networks and digital arteries that connect people across the continent, enabling them to realize their full potential. This partnership with PowerTel is a testament to that overarching vision, promising to deliver Terabit speeds and significantly enhance connectivity across the region.