Zimbabwe commissions high speed rail fibre optic project

from MARCUS MUSHONGA in Harare, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Bureau
HARARE, (CAJ News) – ZIMBABWE has commissioned the second phase of its national rail fibre optic project, which the government says will enhance connectivity across the country.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has commissioned the ambitious project, which has culminated in high-speed fibre laid over 1 500 kilometres.

Speaking at the Somabhula village of the Midlands province, the president welcomed his government’s partnership with the Pan-African telecommunications infrastructure provider, Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group.

The company has also partnered with local ICT provider, Dandemutande for the rollout of the fibre optic project.

This project is reportedly around US$8 million.

“We’re positioning Zimbabwe as a hub for internet services on the continent,” Mnangagwa said at the commissioning.

Running parallel to railway lines, fibre has been laid between the border towns of Beitbridge and Victoria Falls as well as Somabhula and the capital Harare.

The government reported that the project is part of a broader initiative to transform Zimbabwe into a digitally-enabled nation by 2030.

“The project does not only help with local connectivity and access to internet services but also provides the NRZ with an enabler for effective signals,” Nick Mangwana, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, said.

NRZ is an abbreviation for the National Railways of Zimbabwe.

The fibre optic project is the third such project, after Liquid Telcom’s and TelOne’s.

– CAJ News