The Competition and Consumer Authority of Botswana has announced its unconditional approval for the acquisition of 100% of Broadband Botswana Internet (BBi) by the Botswanan arm of South Africa’s Paratus Telecommunications Ltd.
Paratus Botswana is the leading supplier of connectivity, voice, internet, cloud and satellite services in the region. The merger makes Paratus Botswana the largest independent network services provider in Botswana.
Parent company Paratus operates a full-service network spanning the African continent and connecting customers internationally.
Both Paratus and BBi are licensed to provide a range of network and data management solutions and services to the business and residential sectors in Botswana. The merger will enable economies of scale, although, according to local news reports, all staff employed by both companies will be retained.
This is clearly an important deal for Paratus. Through BBi’s national presence and coverage, Paratus will now reach more businesses and enter the domestic market and, through the shared infrastructure, offer better quality connections and lower prices.
Shawn Bruwer, MD of Paratus Botswana, has been quoted in a number of news outlets explaining why this is a positive move for both Paratus and the Botswana market. He says: “BBi provides Paratus with a direct entry to the consumer market and a national footprint through its branches. By combining the BBi coverage with the Paratus network, we will be able to offer extremely competitive solutions combined with quality and uptime.”
