CEC Liquid Telecom goes live with Zambia network

Phase one involved a link between Zambia’s capital Lusaka and the Zambian province of Copperbelt. The second phase of the network has been completed and is expected to go live by the end of 2011, connecting the towns of Chirundu, Ndola, Kabwe, Chingola and Chililabombwe.

Chishala Kateka, managing director of Zamnet, a local ISP in the region said the development is a welcome one for the industry in Zambia. “There is now an additional choice to enable operators such as ourselves to provide exceptional and affordable services to end-users who now expect much faster and more reliable connections.”

CEC Liquid Telecom is also setting up a data centre in Zambia for hosting, servers, routers and the equipment of public and private operators.

The company has already made developments in an extensive network in South Africa to provide backhaul between most urban areas and last mile connectivity in the capital cities of a number of countries including Zambia, South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. It will connect directly to the submarine cables of SEACOM, Sat-3, WACS and EASSy.

Nic Rudnick, CEO of Liquid Telecom, added: “We are investing heavily in the build-out of the largest and most reliable broadband network in Southern Africa. Our fibre networks are being built to last and will provide virtually unlimited capacity for decades to come."