16 Feb 2014

The chief executive officer (CEO) of Botswana Fibre Networks (BOFINET), Mr Mabua Mabua says his organisation is not a monopoly in the provision of national and international communication infrastructure.

Speaking at a BOFINET breakfast meeting in Gaborone recently, Mr Mabua said before BOFINET took over the management of telecommunication infrastructure from Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC), there were other wholesale service providers in the sector. “They are still competitors and should continue with their services,” he said.

BOFINET began its operations after being incorporated as a wholesale provider of national and international telecommunication infrastructure. Mr Mabua said the coming in of BOFINET allowed other players to focus on the provision of better products and services. He added that competition was important for BOFINET to remain efficient.

Mr Mabua also noted that BOFINET was mandated to aim for broadband connectivity. He said BOFINET was transparent as it regularly partners with other players in the wholesale sector to make ICT available.

Mr Mabua also thanked the government for supporting BOFINET financially. “Our sole mandate is to provide and operate a world class communications backbone network infrastructure which will drive connectivity and economic growth.

 We have been working on our strategic plan for the past three years and it will be finalised soon to pave way for implementation,” said Mr Mabua. Ends