South African fibre installation company Lightstruck has entered into an agreement with the Namibian City of Windhoek’s City Link initiative to advance the city’s fibre network commercialisation efforts.
City Link is a dedicated business unit established within the City of Windhoek entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing the commercialisation of the fibre network.
This partnership will reportedly enable a 1GB per second connection. The project has been awarded Class Comprehensive Electronic Communications Network Services/Electronic Communications Services (ECNS/ECS) Spectrum licences by the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN).
According to Namibian business publication The Brief, the move, announced late last week, comes as part of the city’s Strategic Plan (2022-2027), through which it intends to optimise the total capacity of approximately 120 kilometres of underutilised fibre network by commercialising it.
City of Windhoek’s Councillor and Chairperson of the Financial Sustainability, Performance Management, and Policy Advisory Committee Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma has been quoted as saying: “The commercialisation of the fibre network presents a significant business opportunity that can potentially create a much-needed revenue stream for the City. This strategic initiative not only enhances the Council’s operational efficiency, but also improves service offerings to residents, businesses, and investors. It also facilitates seamless online transactions and provides access to real-time, reliable data.”
Lightstruck Holdings is busy elsewhere in the country too; it is planning to roll out a N$500-million (about US$27.6 million) project to develop the country’s first-ever open-access fibre network. The network went live in Khomasdal, a suburb of Namibia’s capital, recently, with another suburb, Rocky Crest, up next, along with Rehoboth, 90 kilometres south of Windhoek, and Osona, 60 kilometres north of Windhoek.
Late last year, the Namibia Infrastructure Development and Investment Fund acquired a stake in Lightstruck Holdings which will support the expansion of last-mile fibre infrastructure into towns and communities that were previously underserved.
Lightstruck Namibia was established through a collaborative venture between Lightstruck South Africa and Africa Merchant Capital Holdings. Its mission is to develop, own, and operate open-access, high-quality last-mile fibre networks, utilising an investment approach that prioritises the deployment of long-term fibre optic networks for the economic and social upliftment of the Namibian communities served.