Paratus launches fastest fiber express route from Johannesburg to Europe
By Michel Haoses.
This week, Paratus Group unveiled the swiftest fiber express route from Johannesburg to Europe, marking a significant milestone in telecommunications.
Leveraging cutting-edge technology including Infinera FlexILS and GX Series DWDM equipment, the new route boasts a latency of just 123 milliseconds and supports wavelengths of up to 800Gb.
The announcement follows Paratus’ completion of a 1,890km fiber link from Johannesburg through Botswana to Swakopmund, connecting with the Paratus landed Equiano subsea cable. This subsea cable extends from Namibia to Lisbon and further to London and the rest of Europe.
With substantial investment in its fiber network, Paratus has established the fastest route between Johannesburg and Lisbon, delivering remarkably lower latency compared to similar routes. The route is now operational following the completion of the Johannesburg to Lobatse link and the construction of the Botswana Kalahari Fiber (BKF) extending into Namibia to reach the Cable Landing Station (CLS) in Swakopmund.
The new Paratus express route offers network operators an unparalleled opportunity to enhance their capacity and redundancy, ensuring resilience and high-speed performance as standard. This guarantees seamless data flow and reduced service interruptions. Additionally, Paratus serves as the landing partner for the Equiano Subsea Cable in Namibia, offering an alternative route from South Africa and mitigating potential fiber outages between Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Martin Cox, Chief Commercial Officer of Paratus Group, emphasized the unique combination of local expertise and global reach embodied in the new fiber express route.
“As a steadfast partner with pan-African expertise, we offer unrivaled wholesale capacity solutions for network operators,” Cox stated. “With tailored solutions to meet specific regional connectivity needs, we now offer carriers and operators an unmatched transmission route to Europe. It’s simply the best.”
Schalk Erasmus, Group Chief Executive, highlighted the significance of this milestone for network operators in South Africa.
“Our continual investment in creating Africa’s quality network is now extended with the launch of this express route,” Erasmus remarked. “This is an exciting time for network operators in South Africa, as they can now procure the fastest and most robust connectivity from Johannesburg to Europe.”
