Liquid Technologies and Facebook have signed an agreement to build an extensive long haul and metro fibre network in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The project is projected to improve internet access and regional connectivity for more than 30 million people across Central Africa.
Liquid Technologies will own, build and operate the fibre network, and provide wholesale services to mobile network operators and internet service providers. Facebook will support the network planning.
The project which will staff 5,000 people from local communities to build the fibre network is meant to create a digital corridor from the Atlantic Ocean through the Congo Rainforest, the second largest rainforest after the Amazon, to East Africa, and onto the Indian Ocean.
For over two years, Liquid Technologies has been working on the digital corridor which now reaches Central DRC. It will connect DRC to its neighbouring countries including Angola, Congo Brazzaville, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
It is expected to stretch from Central DRC to the Eastern border with Rwanda and extend the reach of 2Africa, a major undersea cable that will land along both the East and West African coasts –connecting Africa to the Middle East and Europe.
Nic Rudnick, who is group CEO of Liquid Intelligent Technologies explained that “… this is one of the most difficult fibre builds ever undertaken, crossing more than 2,000 kilometres of some of the most challenging terrain in the world.”
“Liquid Technologies and Facebook have a common mission to provide affordable infrastructure to bridge connectivity gaps, and we believe our work together will have a tremendous impact on internet accessibility across the region.”
“This fibre build with Liquid Technologies is one of the most exciting projects we have worked on,” said Ibrahima Ba, director of Network Investments, Emerging Markets at Facebook. “We know that deploying fibre in this region is not easy, but it is a crucial part of extending broadband access to under-connected areas.
We look forward to seeing how our fibre build will help increase the availability and improve the affordability of high-quality internet in DRC.”
The Liquid Intelligent Technologies is present in over 20 countries in Africa, with a vision for a digitally connected future that places Africa ahead.
