With more than 25 years of international telecommunications experience, Gaetan Soltesz is the new General Manager of FAST Congo, the joint venture formed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between the Paratus Group and Global Broadband Solutions (GBS) in 2023. Gaetan Soltesz’s appointment comes at a critical time for digital infrastructure development in the DRC and reflects the Paratus Group’s ambition to strengthen commercial growth, expand national fiber reach and position FAST Congo as a leading wholesale connectivity provider in Central Africa.
One of Gaetan’s priorities for FAST Congo is to strengthen national fiber infrastructure partnerships and expand the commercialisation of existing backbone assets. FAST Congo currently operates a high capacity 600km fiber route between the coastal submarine cable landing points and Kinshasa, to which ongoing upgrades and capacity expansion are planned to support the imminent substantial traffic growth.
“Connectivity infrastructure is a strategic enabler of economic development,” says Gaetan. “By working closely with stakeholders across both the public and private sectors, we can unlock greater value from existing infrastructure while supporting national digital transformation ambitions.”
Chief Commercial Officer of the Paratus Group, Martin Cox is excited about Gaetan’s appointment: “We’ve attracted the highest calibre of leader with Gaetan. We warmly welcome him to the Paratus Group and believe his wealth of knowledge, leadership skills and innate understanding of the African telecoms industry will add greater impetus to our expansion strategy.”
Before joining FAST Congo, Gaetan spent five years as General Manager of Silicone Connect, where he launched the company to become a high-capacity wholesale carrier with cross-border reach. His earlier career includes 17 years at Cisco, where he held senior positions overseeing large-scale cloud and networking programmes for major telecom operators. As a telecommunications executive, his experience spans infrastructure development, wholesale carrier strategy, digital transformation and international programme leadership.
