Pan-African telecommunications company Paratus Group has completed its strategic East-West Africa fibre route, the first coast-to-coast terrestrial route using Paratus-built fibre infrastructure, boosting its regional network infrastructure and providing unmatched reliability and low-latency connectivity across Southern Africa.

The new terrestrial fibre network extends from the east coast of Africa in Maputo, through Johannesburg and across Botswana and Namibia, to the west coast of Africa at the cable landing station in Swakopmund, in Namibia. Paratus is the landing partner for the Equiano subsea cable in Swakopmund.

The Paratus East-West route offers a fast and resilient link to anywhere in the world from anywhere in the Southern Africa region, with demand having been precipitated and expedited by recent and frequent network outages.

“This sea-change in imperatives has arisen owing to breakages in certain subsea cable systems. Operators need a more reliable route and, with our new East-West route, by connecting to the Equiano subsea cable, we can assure customers a fast and robust alternative. Our East-West fibre route is not just a line on a map — it is Africa's digital lifeline,” said Paratus Group CEO Schalk Erasmus.

According to Paratus Group chief commercial officer Martin Cox, the recent undersea cable cuts revealed the importance of robust alternatives, and Paratus has built redundancy into every kilometre, ensuring Southern Africa stays connected.

“This is not just about backup—it is about uninterrupted operations and seamless communications,” he said, adding that the new East-West fibre route uniquely combines local expertise with global reach.

“As a steadfast partner with pan-African expertise, we offer unequalled wholesale capacity solutions for network operators. Because we understand the unique connectivity needs of the various regions, we have tailored our solutions to specific requirements, and we offer carriers and operators not only a diverse east-west route but also onward transmission to Europe.”

The Paratus Group has made significant investments in its extensive and diverse fibre network.

Earlier this year, Paratus completed a 1 890 km fibre route from Johannesburg, through Botswana, to Swakopmund.

This Botswana Kalahari Fibre spans across Botswana into Namibia, connecting to the cable landing station in Swakopmund and the Paratus-landed Equiano subsea cable, which extends from Namibia to Lisbon, London and the rest of Europe.