South Sudan now has a new Fibre Internet service provider in its White Nile region after over 30 years in the cold. Liquid Telecom which doubles as a Pan African service provider with active wings in Uganda, SouthAfrica, Nigeria among other countries has crossed over to the now non-war zone with fiber Internet packages to the country population.
The new fiber broadband network in SouthSudan pumped by Liquid Telecom is part of the telco’s plans to extend over 70,000KM of cable laid in over 13 African countries to the rest of the world under the code name “One Africa”.
South Sudan’s new Fibre network reach out checks in at a moment when NITA-Uganda is planning to connect the WestNile region and lower South Sudan to the National Backbone that houses super fast internet to Government offices and free WiFi Internet pumped via the MYUG SSID.
This breakthrough foreign direct investment by Liquid Telecom has been recognized by President Salva Kiir.
Ministers along with other national VIPs are joining senior executives from Liquid Telecom during a symbolic fiber digging inauguration on Monday 1 July.
With phase one due to be completed before the end of 2019, Liquid Telecom’s network will eventually make reliable and affordable internet connectivity available for nearly 13 million citizens of South Sudan, as well as thousands of businesses, government institutions, and non-governmental organizations.
South Sudan will link to Liquid Telecom’s network across the region which covers the East African Community, a regional intergovernmental organization of six partner states, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. The Community connects up to 300 million people and stimulates cross-border investment and trade.
This transformative infrastructure will ultimately create a foundation for digital growth, innovation, and prosperity in this young country while supporting the Government of South Sudan’s positive economic growth forecast over the next ten years.
“Liquid Telecom is immensely proud to bring fiber connectivity to South Sudan for the first time,” says Strive Masiyiwa, Executive Chairman of Econet Global and Liquid Telecom.
“This modern ICT infrastructure will help address the most pressing challenges within South Sudan, including the urgent need for peace and state building, job creation and improved livelihoods. South Sudan’s 13 million citizens will be connected to 300 million people across the East African Community. Connecting South Sudan to the ‘One Africa’ broadband network will also champion pan-Africa trade and help build Africa’s digital future.”
Kiir, commenting on this new partnership, says, “The implementation of this critical fiber infrastructure is a landmark step in the delivery of affordable communications access to the people of South Sudan, the business community, government, and civil society. By connecting South Sudan to the global internet, this important infrastructure development will help improve social mobility, enable economic diversification and drive inclusive private sector-led growth and productive employment. The agreement is also ideally timed, coinciding with the signing of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan.”
This first phase is scheduled to go live in the last quarter of 2019. The network will be expanded to other cities in subsequent phases, in time supporting the country’s 13 million citizens.
Editor’s Note: Part of This Story is a Press Release