Windhoek: TECHz – News Desk
Paratus Namibia has successfully launched Namibia’s first private mobile network powered by LTE and 5G Technologies, marking a significant milestone in the country’s telecommunications sector. The achievement underscores the company’s ambitions as part of the Paratus Group, one of Africa’s largest privately owned pan-African network operators, and highlights its long-term commitment to investing in the continent’s digital future.
To support its transformation into a fully-fledged mobile telecommunications operator, Paratus Namibia undertook a major infrastructure project that involved building a data centre capable of housing critical power, cooling and network equipment, while also deploying indoor and outdoor DC power systems for radio infrastructure across its network. The initiative faced several challenges, including converting a small storage room into a telecom-grade data centre, meeting tight launch deadlines, ensuring modular and scalable uninterruptible power supply (UPS) capacity, and providing reliable redundancy for both power and cooling systems.
To address these requirements, Paratus worked closely with local partner ISF, which managed the commissioning process as well as the UPS and battery layout. The project incorporated a range of technologies from Vertiv, including the Vertiv Liebert PDX direct expansion cooling solution with variable-speed compressors, the Vertiv Liebert APM Plus 250 kVA UPS with lithium-ion batteries, Vertiv PowerIT monitored rack power distribution units, and the Vertiv NetSure 7100 converged AC inverter and DC rectifier power system with battery backup for indoor and outdoor sites.
A key factor in the project’s success was the ability of ISF and Vertiv to accelerate the shipment of temporary batteries, allowing the network to go live on schedule while permanent batteries were still in transit. The approach ensured that deployment timelines were met without compromising reliability or performance.
The newly launched network delivers a comprehensive connectivity ecosystem that includes Voice over LTE (VoLTE), Wi-Fi calling, LTE, 5G, fibre services and Sky-Fi wireless connectivity. An integrated data centre supports mobile, residential and business connectivity services, while N+N redundancy ensures high levels of availability and scalability. Advanced power and cooling systems have been deployed to maintain consistent network operations, supported by real-time monitoring capabilities that help identify and mitigate potential issues before they impact services.
The infrastructure has also been designed to minimize downtime through redundant systems and proactive maintenance measures. According to the companies involved, the collaboration between Vertiv and ISF combined global technical expertise with local responsiveness, contributing to the successful rollout of the network.
Gert Duvenhage, Group Chief Operations Officer, Paratus Group: “Our vision has always been to build our own infrastructure as the foundation for long-term growth. With Vertiv and ISF, organisations where we have long-standing trust, we were able to overcome space constraints, aggressive timelines and complex technical requirements to roll out scalable, redundant, market-leading solutions, backed with added technical capabilities. The execution of this project was extremely smooth – when something works and there are no issues, it almost disappears from your radar – which is exactly how it should be.”
The launch positions Paratus Namibia to play a greater role in the country’s digital transformation by providing next-generation connectivity services backed by resilient, scalable and future-ready infrastructure.
