Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) Zimbabwe has recently launched a new internet network that spans over 1,500 kilometres throughout Zimbabwe, connecting key cities such as Harare, Bulawayo, and Victoria Falls. The network extends to neighbouring Southern African countries like South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, and Mozambique. This new network, which cost over US$18 million to build, was officially opened by President Mnangagwa and is now ready for commercial deployment.
The project is a significant development in the country’s internet access situation, which has been a long-standing issue. With the new network, internet service providers, businesses, and individual consumers can now enjoy faster, more reliable, and cheaper internet across Zimbabwe. The long-haul network built along the railway servitude stretches from Beitbridge to Victoria Falls via Bulawayo and connects to the capital city of Harare. It positions Zimbabwe as a regional transit hub for telecommunications traffic in Southern Africa, enabling cross-border connectivity to South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, and Mozambique.
DFA Zimbabwe’s new long-haul fibre optic network will provide much-needed diversity and capacity to Zimbabwe’s international bandwidth service. Moreover, the company has included long-haul dark and lit fibre services in its product offering, complemented by its metro ethernet next-generation network (NGN) in the major cities of Harare, Bulawayo, and Mutare. The NGN already boasts the highest availability in the country, offering multiple cores and multi-gigabit capacity.
DFA Zimbabwe CEO Simon Chimutsotso said, “We are excited to launch our long-haul network and thrilled to open the doors for commercial service on this transformative network. The DFA Zimbabwe long-haul network is a game-changer, empowering businesses with unwavering network stability and consistent connectivity for critical services.”
This new network infrastructure will pave the way for high-speed data transmission and a plethora of advanced telecommunication services nationwide. With this development, businesses and consumers alike will experience a surge in data transmission speeds at affordable price points, enabling a new era of online experiences.
