Zambia’s CEC Liquid Telecom on Thursday announced the acquisition of the portion of WiMAX-based ISP Realtime that it does not already own.
It did not disclose the value of the deal.
Realtime has operated as a 50:50 joint venture between Copperbelt Energy (CEC) and Realtime Technology Alliance Africa (RTAA) since 2009. Meanwhile, CEC Liquid Telecom is a joint venture between CEC and African fibre operator Liquid Telecom.
The move forms part of CEC’s plan to consolidate its investments in certain markets, including Zambia.
As a result of the acquisition, Realtime will concentrate on providing services to homes and businesses in Zambia, using its own WiMAX network as well as CEC Liquid Telecom’s fibre and satellite infrastructure.
CEC Liquid Telecom said it will continue to provide wholesale products and services to all licensed operators in Zambia, including Realtime, which it insisted will be granted network access on the same terms as other providers.
Realtime will be one of the first resellers of Liquid Telecom’s Fibroniks fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) service, which at present is available to just 15,600 premises in certain areas of the capital, Lusaka. Liquid has pledged to continue building out FTTH with a view to covering 20,000 premises in Lusaka and extending the service to towns in the Copperbelt by the end of the year.
According to Liquid Telecom, Realtime is the second largest ISP in Zambia.
