Telecom Namibia is beefing up its international network coverage and service offerings with an MPLS interconnection agreement with PCCW Global.
The African incumbent telecom operator is wholly-owned by the government of the Republic of Namibia.
Telecom Namibia will extend its Ethernet and IP VPN service for both overseas and regional customers via PCCW Global’s MPLS network, which covers more than 3,000 cities in more than 130 countries throughout Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas.
“This co-operation is one of the important milestones to date in our quest to develop our international business, particularly with regard to international data services,” said Ernst Nitschke, Telecom Namibia’s head of international and wholesale services. “The relationship with PCCW Global allows us to extend the coverage of our services from Namibia to the rest of the world, and we will in turn facilitate like access in Namibia to PCCW Global.”
The collaboration with Telecom Namibia will also enable PCCW Global to provide international customers with greater local access beyond Namibia, with extended coverage to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. SADC aims to achieve economic growth and the alleviation of poverty throughout 15 southern African states by promoting regional integration and sustainable development.
PCCW Global is an investor in the new West Africa Cable System (WACS) which links South Africa to the UK via 14 African countries and important economic hubs along Africa’s west coast. As one of the carriers connected to WACS, Telecom Namibia will now be able to offer an international MPLS interconnect service following its agreement with PCCW Global.
“We are very pleased to work with Telecom Namibia and enhance our local coverage in one of the most important countries on Africa’s west coast,” said James Welch, PCCW Global’s vice president and head of sales of EMEA. “Our co-operation with Telecom Namibia, which is built on a long and fruitful relationship stretching back more than 10 years, will yield significant benefits for both companies, and will also open up new opportunities in the African market.”
In January, PCCW Global announced that it will collaborate with 16 other service providers to construct the Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1) cable system, which will interconnect Hong Kong, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. AAE-1 will be the first high-capacity system to link all of the leading Southeast Asian nations with Africa and Europe via the Middle East, thereby supporting unprecedented Asia-Africa trade growth.
