Story by Patience Nyagato
THE Zimbabwe National Broadband Plan is well on course, with the US$3 million fibre optic cable expansion project expected to be completed next month.
As part of efforts to ensure sufficient broadband infrastructure across the country, government partners in the fibre optic expansion project are seized with work to connect Beitbridge to Bulawayo, Victoria Falls, Gweru and Harare via Rutenga, Somabula and other areas.
The project is expected be complete by end of next month to improve access and adoption of broadband services by economic players.
“We have embarked on this project of building infrastructure on the rail from Beitbridge, via Rutenga, Somabula to Bulawayo and then Somabula to Harare. We are co-building it. We have iinvested US$5 million on the backhole and US$3 million on the metro fibre infrastructure in the cities and towns in which the infrastructure is going to intercept.
“We are going to build fibre infrastructure in Bulawayo, Gweru, Kwekwe and Norton and Harare. In terms of contributing to the National Broadband Plan, I think one of the key tenant of that plan is to make sure that there is sufficient infrastructure across the regions so that there is no concentration of infrastructure in one group so places like Somabula, Rutenga and Kwekwe can be able to participate in the digital age, explained Dandemutande Private Limited chief executive officer, Mr Never Ncube.
The first leg of the fibre optic cable project that runs from Beitbridge to Victoria Falls was commissioned last year and the additional deployment of fibre across the country is expected to boost connectivity across the country as government reinforces the concept of leaving no one and no place behind.
“Obviously the ordinary person will also benefit as it gets infrastructure to places like Rutenga where there was no such infrastructure,” he added.
The project involves the mechanical laying of the fibre optic cable along the railway line and the network will also be used to connect other countries including Mozambique.
