LONDON -- CEC Liquid Telecom today announced that phase one of its countrywide fibre network in Zambia is now live and providing much-needed broadband connectivity to mobile operators, ISPs, banks and other corporations. Phase one is a fibre link between the capital city Lusaka and the Zambian Copperbelt. Phase 2 of the network has been completed and is expected to go live by the end of 2011 connecting the towns of Chirundu, Ndola, Kabwe, Chingola and Chililabombwe.

Liquid Telecom is building the largest and most extensive fibre network in Southern Africa which will provide backhaul between most urban areas and last mile connectivity in the main cities of a number of countries including Zambia, South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. The network will be directly connected to the submarine cables of Seacom, SAT3, WACS and Eassy.

The CEC Liquid Telecom network will provide virtually unlimited broadband capacity within and into Zambia and is already increasing competition and reducing end-user broadband prices by more than 50% in some areas. It is also the first fully-redundant network in the country and, because CEC Liquid Telecom has end-to-end ownership of the network, it is able to provide Service Level Agreements at a level not previously experienced in Zambia.

Liquid Telecom