15 April 2025
Botswana Fibre Networks (BoFiNet) says it has invested large amounts of money towards the upgrading of internet gateway in response to the growing demand for internet capacity in the country.
The state-owned wholesale provider of national and international telecommunication infrastructure stated P100 million has been spent in a strategic initiative to upgrade the country’s internet gateway. BoFiNet further said the projects are meant to usher in a new era of high-speed connectivity, improved security, and enhanced service reliability for local internet users.
The ambitious upgrades were executed through two major projects, with the first involving replacing the national metro network within Gaborone and Francistown to improve connectivity in key locations such as government institutions, shopping malls, and business centres. Under this metro ring project, BoFiNet will bring a high-capacity network infrastructure designed to deliver significantly higher bandwidth to a broader range of users.
The second project focused on upgrading equipment at the Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) in London and Johannesburg, which handle Botswana’s international internet traffic. Additionally, the Gaborone IXP was relocated to a more secure and resilient environment, ensuring better continuity and reliability of internet services. BoFiNet’s head of technology planning, Boikarabelo Ramaretlwa, highlighted the growing demand for internet capacity in the country.
“Internet traffic to and from Botswana has grown exponentially over the past decade, reaching just over 100Gbps in February 2025, up from under 8Gbps in 2015,” he revealed.
Ramaretlwa attributed the surge to the introduction of SmartBots services, the adoption of 5G technology, and increased local content consumption.
“BoFiNet is responding to this exponential increase in utilisation by upgrading the internet gateway, enabling customers to enjoy higher capacities, faster speeds, more security, and an overall more seamless experience.”
“These upgrades also ensure that our infrastructure can meet future demands,” he added.
Acting CEO of BoFiNet, Mpho Koolese, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to driving digital transformation.
“We stand firmly behind the government in delivering on our mandate and advancing the country’s aspirations of a digital future,” said Koolese.
“These two projects are not only crucial to the functionality of our national internet infrastructure, but they also support key services such as e-health, e-education, smart government systems, and the Internet of Things.”
The investment marks a significant milestone in BoFiNet’s efforts to enhance digital connectivity and support Botswana’s socio-economic development through advanced technological infrastructure.
Source: https://rb.gy/qk9vdd
