Telecom Namibia says its partnership with OMDis will create one of the first smart cities in the country.
The company is set to roll out new fibre routes in the town of Oranjemund at a cost of N$12 million, a development which will positively impact sectors such as tourism, industrial development, entrepreneurship, healthcare, agriculture, SME development, education and property development.
“This partnership will advance a top of the range telecommunication network infrastructure to position the Oranjemund town as a smart city in the near future and will assist Oranjemund to cement its position as a centre for healthcare, agriculture, education, while opening opportunities for digital transformation, accessing enhanced digital and value-added services, like no other town in Namibia,” Telecom Namibia’s Senior Manager for //Kharas Regional Operations Management Andre Diergaardt said during the commissioning of the new Fiber-to-Office at OMDis’ offices at Oranjemund.
“The fibre infrastructure will propel the Oranjemund Town’s transformation journey to become a smart city, characterized by a high level of community and resident engagement, attractiveness for businesses, and efficient and sustainable town operations.”
This comes as Telecom Namibia and OMDis, the Oranjemund town’s Special Purpose Vehicle whose sole purpose is to proactively accelerate the town’s economic diversification, signed a joint partnership agreement in November which aims to transform the town into the country’s first smart city.
“Telecom Namibia is committed to growing its network and meeting the need for fast and reliable full fibre internet connections. Telecom is ready for this new challenge of continuing to deliver first-class digital services in Namibia, which they’ve continually done through Telecom’s presence in the market for more than 30 years. The fibre infrastructure will propel the Oranjemund Town’s transformation journey to become a smart city, characterised by a high level of community and resident engagement, attractiveness for businesses, and efficient and sustainable town operations.”
According to the terms of the agreement, the eight-month project, which aims to transform Oranjemund into a smart city by connecting more than two thousand residents and businesses to the fibre-optic network, is one of the strategic ventures under Telecom Namibia’s operational plan, announced under its N$2.3 billion capex programme to roll out digital infrastructure.
The project will also add 67.6km of fibre to its existing national fibre backbone, improving the coverage of its existing 10,676km (65.2% of the national coverage) national fibre backbone.