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Connect2Connect 2015 Dar-es-Salaam Connecting Africa Coast to Coast (28-29 July 2015)

!Presented by: Aldrin SIVAKO

TECHNICAL EXECUTIVE !

Botswana Fibre Networks !

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Landlocked Africa’s objectives

The Botswana perspective

About BOFINET

• Brief Corporate profile – Mandate – Vision, mission – Business Portfolio

• Connecting Botswana – Current Network Connectivity & on-going initiatives

• Issues & Challenges • Recommendations • The End

Corporate profileBotswana Fibre Networks PTY (Ltd) --BOFINET

•A state owned entity

•Gov. decision to separate BTC in the privatization program

•Started operation in October 2013

•Shareholder in EASSy and investment in WACS

•Mandated to:

o Operate and manage National fibre and ducts infrastructure as a

wholesaler

o Operate and manage the national DWDM, SDH and IP-Core networks

o Provide services to all retail service providers on an open-access and

transparent manner

o Drive affordable access to connectivity for all.

BoFiNet Vision & Mission

Vision World Class Information Communications Technology Organization for a Globally Connected Botswana. !Mission Provision of high quality, affordable, and accessible wholesale broadband connectivity for both National and International customers. !Strategic Themes 1. National Broadband Coverage 2. Service and Operational Excellence 3. Operational Sustainability

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Chief Executive Officer ! Summary Report !

Board Meeting June 2015!

Business Portfolio

• Internet Protocol Transit (IPT)-efficient, reliable and resilient connection to the global internet !

• International Private Leased Line (IPLC)-dedicated end to end connectivity designed to reliably deliver and connect customers on your network to the rest of the world efficiently !

• National Leased Line(NLL) -committed high speed bandwidth service suitable for supporting dedicated point-to-point, ring and linear topologies  !

• Colocation- provisioning of a physical location in which other licensed operators can place their telecommunication equipment in order to provide services to their end customers  !

• Carrier Ethernet- providing connectivity between geographically dispersed locations within a metropolitan area and beyond using Ethernet based standard networking technology !

• Wholesale Wi-Fi – Providing open-access connectivity to Wi-Fi shared infrastructure for all ISPs and PTOs on a reseller model.

Connecting Land-Locked Botswana

Network Connectivity

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BoFiNet investment in EASSy and WACS submarine cables and connectivity has been activated as follows;

EASSy cable (Capacity: 143 x STM 1)

o Connectivity to Mtunzini (RSA) landing station through Ramatlabama & Tlokweng borders providing;

✓ Direct connectivity to Djibouti

✓ Direct connectivity to London and HongKong through EIG

!WACS (Capacity: 133 x STM 1,➔ 633 x STM 1 in November 2015).

o Connectivity to Swakopmund Landing Station (Namibia) through two diverse border entry points (Ngoma and CharlesHill border/Buitepos). Primarily OMNIBUS route

o Diversity route to Yzerfontein (Cape Town) cable landing station through Ramatlabama border – Accessing WACS Express route.

International Connectivity

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Zambia

▪Connectivity through Kazungula border ▪ Interfacing with ZESCO (Zambia) - STM-64

▪Chobe under-river crossing for redundancy purposes (at Feasibility stage) !Zimbabwe

▪Connectivity through Ramokgwebana border • Interfacing with Powertel & TelOne (Zimbabwe) - STM-64,

South Africa

▪Connectivity through Ramatlabama & Tlokweng borders, ▪ Interfacing with Broadband Infraco and Telkom South Africa at STM-64 at both borders

!Namibia

▪Connecting through Ngoma and Charles Hill/Buitepos borders.

▪ Interfacing with Telecom Namibia at STM-64 at both borders

Regional Connectivity

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BoFiNet Regional Connectivity

Current Points of Presence global PeeringCurrent peering partners & IXPs ( >13Gbps) •Botswana Internet Exchange (BINX)

•South Africa (SAIX, NAP Africa, Internet Solutions)

•Sparkle (Djibouti Data Centre)

•Cogent (Global Switch)

•London Internet Exchange

•PCCW Global (Global Switch)

•Google(Bots & SA), Microsoft(SA) & Akamai(Bots)

Future Expansion Plans ongoing – Direct peering •Direct connectivity with US

•Kenya

•Zambia

•Establishment of a regional IXP

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Current & Ongoing Network Expansions

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Current Backbone Network & On-going Expansions

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Fibre-To-The-BusinessIn order to address last-mile connectivity gap

•BoFiNet is implementing FTTB (Fibre-To-The-X) on open-access basis in the

following areas with completion in September 2015;

✓ Gaborone ✓ Francistown ✓ Kasane/Kazungula ✓ Maun !

•Types of areas to be covered;

✓ All Government Offices ✓ All Industrial/Commercial Centres ✓ All Health Facilities (public & private) ✓ All Tourism Facilities (Hotels) ✓ All Education Facilities (public and private) ✓ All Retail Centres/Shoping malls

Public Wi-Fi

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In order to increase access to cost-effective internet by the public !•BOFINET is deploying Wi-Fi access points in strategic public areas around the country. •The network is open-access allowing all licensed telecommunications service providers to provide services to consumers on the shared infrastructure

•Coverage: Gaborone, Francistown,

Mahalapye, Palapye, Kasane, Maun and Serowe.

•Targeting high density public areas. •Implementation is using both indoors and outdoor solutions •FTTx used to provide backhaul connectivity to hotspots •Commercial launch August 2015.

Key Challenges & OpportunitiesChallenges •High Cost of transit backhaul connectivity to reach EASSy and WACS •Network outages due to frequent power failures & fibre cable cuts. •Last mile connectivity gap remains an impediment to close the digital divide.

!Opportunities •Cross-border connectivity – as a bilateral initiative ensure availability of redundant cross-border connectivity (with Zam & Zim) •National backbone networks ➔ Digital inclusion ➔ facilitate e-Gov initiatives and connectivity access for all. •FTTX projects a platform for enabling high speed connectivity ➔ facilitate doing business easier ➔ drive economic growth.

•Wi-Fi access to internet drive usage, easy access to information ➔ digital inclusion ➔ socio-economic development.

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Recommendations for Governments

• Governments within a region to: – establish a consortia through which to jointly fund

an express high capacity regional network that link to CLS e.g. follow EASSy/WACS model.

– Leverage existing fibre infrastructure.

!• Harmonization of transit rates within the region

(e.g. per km rate) to ensure transparency.

ASANTE SANA