VIPNET, a privately-owned corporate internet service provider (ISP) in Côte d’Ivoire, has announced a partnership with Liquid Dataport, part of pan-African technology group Liquid Intelligent Technologies.
The two companies say this partnership will allow Liquid Dataport to leverage VIPNET’s infrastructure to provide ISPs and enterprise customers with access to Liquid’s full portfolio of services, including its extensive pan-African network and innovative cloud and cybersecurity solutions.
They also cite reports suggesting that internet penetration in Côte d’Ivoire is currently at 45.4%. Thus, through this partnership, Liquid Dataport aims to provide businesses with cost-effective, reliable and secure connectivity solutions, a significant step in improving internet access in the country.
Liquid Dataport says this is a significant step in expanding its network and service capabilities across West Africa, a key growth market for the company. It notes that Côte d'Ivoire is a very important ICT hub in the Francophone West African region.
VIPNET in turn feels it will greatly benefit from being connected to Liquid's extensive global network, enabling it to reach any location in Africa and allowing its regional customers to take advantage of Liquid's software-defined networking (SDN) solutions.
Indeed, Ahmed Cherif, Chief Executive Officer of VIPNET, says: “This new partnership will enable VIPNET to strengthen its position as a technological hub of excellence within the West African sub-region, with a much higher bandwidth, and access to a varied range of ICT products and services. We believe that our unique position as a strong, national and reliable alternative player for our market, coupled with the major development with Liquid Dataport, will benefit our customers with next-generation solutions to accelerate their digital maturity.”