Vertiv To Support Paratus’ Infrastructure

Pan-African telecommunications provider Paratus has launched Namibia’s first private mobile network built on LTE and 5G technologies, marking a significant milestone in the country’s telecommunications sector as the company expands beyond connectivity services into mobile telecommunications.

The rollout was supported by digital infrastructure company Vertiv, which supplied the power and cooling infrastructure underpinning the new network. The deployment also included indoor and outdoor DC power systems for radio equipment and a new data centre designed to support the operator’s growing portfolio of mobile and enterprise services.

The launch represents a strategic step for Paratus Namibia as it seeks to broaden its service offering in an increasingly competitive telecommunications market. In addition to traditional fibre and wireless connectivity, the network supports Voice over LTE (VoLTE), Wi-Fi calling, LTE and 5G services for consumer and business customers.

The project presented several technical challenges, including converting a small storage facility into a telecommunications data centre while meeting strict deployment timelines. The infrastructure also needed to provide high availability, scalability and redundancy to support continuous network operations.

To address these requirements, Vertiv supplied modular uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems with lithium-ion batteries, cooling systems, rack power distribution units and integrated AC and DC power solutions for network sites.

The deployment was delivered in collaboration with ISF ICT Infrastructure, which managed the commissioning and layout of the UPS systems. The partners also had to navigate global supply chain constraints affecting lithium-ion batteries during the implementation, using interim backup battery systems to help keep the project on schedule.

The new facility has been designed with N+1 redundancy and real-time monitoring capabilities to improve network resilience and minimise service disruptions as demand for digital services continues to grow.

According to Paratus Group Chief Technical Officer Gert Duvenhage, the project demonstrates the importance of building owned infrastructure to support the company’s long-term expansion strategy.

“Our vision has always been to build our own infrastructure as the foundation for long-term growth. With Vertiv and ISF ICT Infrastructure, organisations where we have long-standing trust, we were able to overcome space constraints, aggressive timelines and complex technical requirements to roll out scalable, redundant, market-leading solutions, backed with added technical capabilities,” Duvenhage said.

He added that the implementation proceeded with minimal operational issues despite the complexity of the deployment.

“The execution of this project was extremely smooth – when something works and there are no issues, it almost disappears from your radar – which is exactly how it should be.”

The deployment highlights the growing role of modern data centre infrastructure in telecommunications networks as operators prepare for increased demand driven by 5G services, enterprise connectivity and data-intensive applications. Reliable power systems, efficient cooling and resilient network architecture are becoming increasingly important as mobile operators expand coverage and introduce next-generation digital services.

For Namibia, the introduction of a private LTE and 5G network adds to the country’s digital infrastructure and provides another platform for supporting enterprise connectivity, smart industry applications and future digital transformation initiatives.