Connecteo has deployed DragonWave’s Horizon Compact packet microwave radio system to deliver high capacity broadband services to its enterprise customers in Burkina Faso, West Africa. The company uses the system to bypass traditional leased line infrastructure and provide cost efficient and scalable broadband IP services. Based in Dakar, Senegal, Connecteo has also established subsidiaries in Cameroon, Guinea, Bénin and Niger. The company is managed by Monaco Telecom, an affiliate in the international business unit of UK-based Cable & Wireless Group.

Initial deployments in Burkina Faso provide up to 50 Mbps broadband access to the operator’s enterprise customers with the option to scale to 400 Mbps over time. The Horizon Compact is suited to such access network applications as it physically requires very little space and has low power consumption. Also, because it is powered through the same Cat5 cable that delivers the broadband service it presents little disruption to in-building cable management and power systems. It is mounted outdoors and has a proven track record for reliability and performance in some of the most challenging environments.

“Broadband access demand is very, very high, throughout Western Africa,” said Rouylou Jean Michel, International Director Monaco Telecom. “Network costs have traditionally slowed progress in this market, but DragonWave’s products are helping eliminate much of this burden and enable Connecteo to deliver higher speed broadband services to more and more customers.”

Peter Allen, President and CEO of DragonWave, added, “Connecteo’s deployment of the Horizon Compact expands our presence in African markets. Our solution’s unique combination of scalability, flexibility and resiliency has made it the native Ethernet microwave radio of choice for the world’s most innovative, next generation, service providers.”