Paratus Africa Group
Botswana

Paratus Botswana has reasons to celebrate

Paratus Botswana has reasons to celebrate

With the recent BBi acquisition, Paratus Botswana has cemented its position as a market leader in just seven years… 

Delivering quality, reliable connections with excellent service in the country are the principal mandates for Paratus Botswana. After seven years in the market, Paratus Botswana is celebrating its anniversary and marking its achievements, not the least of which was the seamless acquisition of and merger with BBi in 2022. 

A special celebration, with Botswana celebrity Michael Morapedii, AKA Dignash, as master of ceremonies, was held at the Protea Hotel, Masa Square, and was attended by Minister of Communications, Knowledge and Technology, Honourable Thulagano M. Segokgo; Paratus Group Chief Executive Officer, Schalk Erasmus; Paratus Botswana MD, Shawn Bruwer; as well as key customers and stakeholders. 

Key milestones in the company’s rapid growth: in 2016, Paratus acquired a small, dormant company with the necessary licenses, and thereby grabbed the opportunity to enter the Botswana market and expand its network and services offerings to its target enterprise customers. In 2018, Paratus Botswana secured a gateway license with BOCRA and opened an independent microwave link between South Africa and Botswana via Tlokweng. In 2019 Paratus Botswana invested in its own cloud / hosted environment to offer virtualised machines, storage, mail, and firewalls and became the technical partner for the Botswana Internet Exchange. The company then began deploying its own fiber in Gaborone in 2020, and completed the build from north to south, making Paratus Botswana an efficient hub for connectivity and data services between South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia. This huge undertaking allowed the company to structure its metro fiber deployment in Gaborone and offer diverse and independent services to customers. 

In its pledge to constantly improve and expand its services, Paratus Botswana has recently broken ground on its biggest project to date: an 800km fiber route running from Gaborone, via Molepolole and Letlhakeng, Kang and through to Charles Hill and the border into Namibia. This will connect Botswana to the new 144 Terabit Google Equiano subsea cable which the Paratus Group landed in Swakopmund, Namibia last year. Deploying this cutting-edge technology will enable Paratus Botswana to provide even faster and more reliable connections as well as more diverse routes and redundancy. 

Minister of Communications, Knowledge and Technology, Honourable Thulagano M. Segokgo spoke at the event, and said that it is companies such as Paratus Botswana that are making vital and valid contributions to the country’s development. “Recently, our President, His Excellency Dr Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, spoke about the importance of connectivity and internet access for our nation. The government’s Vision 2030 is a bold and ambitious plan to transform Botswana into a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy. To achieve this, we must ensure that everyone has access to quality education, healthcare, and other essential services. We also need to invest in modern infrastructure and create an environment conducive to business and innovation. 

“Telecommunications and internet access are key components of this vision. They allow us to connect with the rest of the world and access information, knowledge, and opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach. They also enable us to participate in the global economy, export our products and services, and create jobs and prosperity for our people. 

“Since its establishment in 2016, Paratus Botswana has provided innovative and reliable solutions to the people of Botswana. The company’s extensive network ensures access to high-quality services throughout Botswana. They are also committed to investing in the latest technology, such as fiber optic cables, to ensure that our country has the infrastructure it needs to compete in the global marketplace. 

“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Paratus on its 7th anniversary and commend the recent acquisition of BBi, which is a testament to the company’s continued growth and success. I believe this acquisition will further strengthen Paratus’ position as a leader in Botswana’s telecommunications industry and help consolidate the industry for the better.” 

MD of Paratus Botswana, Shawn Bruwer, said: “Our investment in Botswana is important to us as a Group, and we are committed to being a key contributor to the growth and development of the country. Today, we have a diversified telecommunications company offering various services to large and small businesses and residences across Botswana. We have five branches. We have close to 70 Batswana employees. And, by the end of 2023, we will have more than 1000km of fiber deployed nationally; numerous unique PoPs (points of presence); over 20 service vehicles; and hundreds of radio access points. What we have achieved in just seven years is remarkable, and we think it’s worth celebrating. We also look forward to sharing in the Paratus Group’s 20th -anniversary celebrations this year – 2023 is our year to celebrate, recognise the achievements and continue building on our success in our overall aim to transform Africa through exceptional infrastructure and service.” 

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