Namibia to get cheaper Internet services

Jasco said the points of presence would assist with bringing down the cost of telecommunications and would also provide cheaper Internet connectivity as Namibia would no longer have to route data traffic through SA.

Direct routing not only provided more cost effective interconnections‚ it also enabled the operator to offer higher speeds of connectivity at lower prices‚ as well as better customer service‚ Jasco said.

NewTelco SA is a joint venture between Jasco and Germany-based NewTelco GmbH and offers a carrier neutral co-location service that provides carriers with a centralised telecommunications hub. The West Africa Cable System links SA with the rest of West Africa and Europe.

The points of presence will be located in Cape Town‚ Johannesburg‚ Frankfurt and London‚ and will be procured and built by NewTelco SA for exclusive use by Telecom Namibia.

The strategic location of the four points of presence means that Telecom Namibia can now offer its customers in SA or abroad direct connections to a number of existing and future undersea cable systems‚ said Jasco.

"In order to connect to global telecommunications providers‚ Telecom Namibia needed space in multiple data centres as well as a company to manage and maintain services‚" said Eckart Zollner‚ business development manager for Jasco co-location solutions.

Oiva Angula‚ senior manager for corporate communications and public relations at Telecom Namibia‚ said further phases‚ such as additional points of presence and the extension of "our national infrastructure will enable us to further extend these services and access new technologies such as Voice-over-IP and cloud services".

Pete da Silva‚ chief executive at Jasco‚ said NewTelco was a carrier neutral co-location centre and provider‚ which meant that at every point of presence location there were hundreds of global carriers present.

"Telecom Namibia can now have its pick of carriers to interconnect with‚ ensuring that they always receive the best pricing and service levels‚ which can then be passed on to their customers‚" he said.