Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Facebook plan fiber network for the Democratic Republic of Congo
Pan African networking group Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Facebook say they will partner to deploy long-haul and metro fiber networks in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The fiber network should improve internet access for more than 30 million people and address the demand for regional connectivity across Central Africa, the partners say.
Liquid Intelligent Technologies will own, build, and operate the fiber network; Facebook will contribute funding and support network planning. The work will build on Liquid Intelligent Technologies’ efforts over the past two years to create a digital corridor from the Atlantic Ocean through the Congo Rainforest. That effort has reached the central portion of the DRC. The corridor project aims to connect the DRC to its neighboring countries including Angola, Congo Brazzaville, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. The collaboration with Facebook will connect central DRC to the Eastern border with Rwanda and extend the reach of the 2Africa submarine cable system.
“This is one of the most difficult fiber builds ever undertaken, crossing more than 2,000 km of some of the most challenging terrain in the world,” commented Nic Rudnick, group CEO of Liquid Intelligent Technologies. “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 fiber build with Liquid Technologies is one of the most exciting projects we have worked on,” added Ibrahima Ba, director of network investments, Emerging Markets at Facebook. “We know that deploying fiber 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 fiber build will help increase the availability and improve the affordability of high-quality internet in DRC.”
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About the Author
Stephen Hardy
Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
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