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title: Paratus Zambia deploying metro fibre network with Meta - Developing Telecoms
description: Paratus Zambia is partnering with Meta to build a new 900km open access metro fibre network aimed at boosting connectivity across the country.
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Paratus Zambia is partnering with Meta to build a new 900km open access metro fibre network aimed at boosting connectivity across the country.

The operator – a unit of pan-African Paratus Group – will build, own and operate the network. IT News Africa reports that the new infrastructure will connect to the group’s Lusaka data centre, allowing it to offer high quality services to local businesses. Paratus Zambia will use the network to deliver wholesale services to mobile and internet service providers.

Two phases of deployment are planned, with the first set to be completed by January 2023 with six cities connected. The second phase will connect an additional four towns, and is slated for completion by end-2023. The ten towns have been named as Chambishi, Chililabombwe, Chingola, Kabwe, Kitwe, Livingstone, Luanshya, Mufulira, Ndola and Solwezi, although their projected connection dates have not yet been disclosed.

CommsUpdate reported Paratus Zambia MD, Marius van Vuuren as indicating that the build-out had already commenced, with the executive saying: “We aim to complete the first 280km by November and activate it by early January … This is a significant relationship for Paratus not only because of its importance to the Zambian economy, but also because we will be helping to provide millions of people and hundreds of businesses with the opportunity to connect to the Internet via a faster and more secure fibre network.”

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