Paratus Group signs BSO as first customer for Express Route

Johannesburg, 16 May 2024

From Johannesburg to Swakopmund via Botswana.

Paratus Group, which positions itself as a leading pan-African telecommunications provider, has signed with BSO – the global pioneering infrastructure and connectivity provider serving the world’s largest financial institutions – as its first customer for the recently launched Paratus Express Route. This groundbreaking fibre route provides the fastest connectivity between Johannesburg and Europe, with an impressive latency of just 123 milliseconds.

BSO, known for its low-latency connectivity solutions for businesses operating in time-sensitive industries, is now able to enhance its service offering by using Paratus Express Route. Michael Ourabah, CEO at BSO, said: "We are excited – not only to be the first customer on the Paratus Express Route, but also because this reinforces our promise of providing the fastest and most reliable connectivity solutions across the globe. This is a very significant and pioneering collaboration that translates to offering the lowest latency route between Johannesburg and London to the enterprises that need it most."

Michael Ourabah, CEO, BSO.

The Paratus Express Route, which runs from Johannesburg to Swakopmund via Botswana, connects to the Paratus-landed Equiano Subsea Cable, providing a direct link to Lisbon, London and the rest of Europe. By investing heavily in its contiguous and diverse fibre network, Paratus has established an unparalleled route that guarantees superior performance and reliability for network service providers and their enterprise customers.

Martin Cox, Chief Commercial Officer at Paratus Group, added: "Our partnership with BSO underscores the value of the Paratus Express Route for network service providers and their financial services clients. By combining our local expertise with global reach, we are uniquely positioned to meet the critical connectivity demands of the financial industry. Our express route also marks a significant milestone on our journey to transform Africa's digital landscape and to support the growth of the financial services sector."

Martin Cox Paratus Group CCO.

As financial institutions increasingly rely on high-speed, low-latency connectivity to gain a competitive edge, the Paratus Express Route, with BSO as its first customer, is revolutionising trading operations between Africa and Europe. The enhanced connectivity will empower financial firms in London and Johannesburg to trade faster and capitalise on market opportunities.

The Paratus Express Route not only offers unmatched speed and performance but also provides a crucial alternative path for network operators, mitigating the impact of potential fibre outages between Johannesburg and Cape Town. With Paratus as the landing partner for the Equiano Subsea Cable in Namibia, customers are assured of resilient and diverse connectivity.

For more information about the Paratus Express Route, please visit www.paratus.africa.

BSO

The company was founded in 2004 and serves the world’s largest financial institutions. BSO is a global pioneering infrastructure and connectivity provider, helping over 600 data-intensive businesses across diverse markets, including financial services, technology, energy, e-commerce, media, and others. BSO owns and provides mission-critical infrastructure, including network connectivity, cloud solutions, managed services, and hosting, that are specific and dedicated to each customer served.

The company’s network comprises 240+ PoPs across 33 markets, 50+ cloud on-ramps, is integrated with all major public cloud providers and connects to 75+ on-net internet exchanges and 30+ stock exchanges. The team of experts works closely with customers to create solutions that meet the detailed and specific needs of their business, providing the latency, resilience, and security they need regardless of location.

BSO is headquartered in Ireland, and has 11 offices across the globe, including London, New York, Paris, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Singapore. For more information: www.bso.co

Paratus

Paratus is Africa’s quality network. With an eye on the future, the group is investing in infrastructure and establishing itself as a key player in delivering integrated network services across Africa. Paratus is managed by a passionate and professional operational team in seven African countries – Angola, Botswana, DRC, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia – and the business’s extended network provides a satellite connectivity-focused service in more than 30 African countries to a magnitude of customer satellite connections across Africa. This connects African businesses across the continent and delivers end-to-end service excellence. The group’s footprint extends beyond Africa to international (points of presence) PoPs in UK, Europe, and the USA.

Born and bred in Africa, Paratus is thinking big as it grows its footprint to deliver Africa’s quality network. By understanding the unique opportunities that Africa offers businesses and individuals to break boundaries and to connect without limits, Paratus is committed to raising the bar for providing quality connectivity in Africa.

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Paratus Group signs BSO as first customer for Express Route

And offers the global financial sector the fastest low latency connectivity between Johannesburg and London.