Investment

Botswana invests in coverage along major highway

Botswana invests in coverage along major highway

Botswana has reportedly invested P34.5 million (about US$2.5 million) in expanding mobile broadband and voice coverage along the 1,900-kilometre Trans-Kalahari Highway, deploying 12 sites through the Universal Access and Service Fund broadband expansion project.

The Universal Access and Service Fund (UASF) is dedicated to facilitating universal access to communications services for all Batswana, ensuring affordable and accessible connectivity in unserved and underserved areas.

The initiative, involving operator Orange Botswana, aims to improve digital connectivity for rural communities, businesses, farmers and travellers along a regional trade corridor linking Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.

The investment forms part of Botswana’s efforts to extend telecommunications services beyond major urban centres and improve access to digital and postal services in rural communities.

The Trans-Kalahari Corridor connects Namibia’s Walvis Bay and Windhoek through Botswana to Pretoria and Johannesburg in South Africa, supporting regional trade and cross-border economic activity.

The ITWeb Africa news service says further network expansion is planned through infrastructure sharing and network optimisation involving telecommunications providers Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) and Mascom, with improvements expected by the end of the next financial year, according to David Tshere, Botswana’s Minister of Communications and Innovation.

The additional measures are intended to broaden connectivity options along the corridor and surrounding communities.

The hope is that ongoing connectivity improvements and modernised postal networks will help young people, rural entrepreneurs and local producers access customers in major cities and international markets, not least by allowing them to participate in the digital economy and strengthening economic links across Southern Africa.



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