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Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a pan-African fiber and technology company owned by Cassava Technologies, has partnered with Taara, a wireless optical communication technology developed at X, Google’s moonshot factory.
Together, they have deployed nearly a dozen light-beam links to enhance high-capacity bandwidth from data centers to large enterprises throughout Lagos. This includes local internet service providers, banks, hotels, and a utility company.
Liquid is now exploring expansion into Abuja, Ibadan, and Kano, where it sees similar conditions for wireless optical deployment to extend connectivity for businesses.
“Fibre remains an essential part of modern communications infrastructure, but there are many situations where deploying fibre quickly or cost-effectively can be difficult. Wireless optical communication gives operators another tool to extend capacity, reach customers faster, and build more resilient networks without compromising performance,” said Bhavesh Mistry, regional lead for Africa at Taara.
The announcement comes over three months after closing a $660 million debt financing round.
The round was anchored by a $300 million Eurobond that was oversubscribed 2.5 times and signalled strong institutional appetite for the African digital infrastructure story amid cautious market investment.
Each Taara link delivers up to 20 Gbps of capacity over distances of up to 20 kilometres using narrow, invisible beams of light transmitted through the air. Unlike traditional fibre, the links require no trenching, permitting, or spectrum licensing, and can be installed and activated within hours.
In Lagos, one of Africa’s largest and fastest-growing commercial hubs, expanding network infrastructure through conventional fibre is expensive and slow in its dense urban environments.
“Traditional fibre deployments aren’t always a possibility, especially across difficult terrains. Taara links can often be installed and activated within hours, allowing Liquid to ensure that it is remaining true to its mission to create a digitally connected future that leaves no African behind,” said Eugene Uka, acting CEO of Liquid Intelligent Technologies Nigeria.
Liquid operates a 116,000 km fibre broadband network and and satellite connectivity that provides high-speed access to the Internet anywhere in Africa.
Since 2019, Liquid has been deploying Taara Lightbridge, a wireless optical communication technology, in a number of African countries, including Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and most recently Nigeria.
In Lagos, Taara links also serve as high-capacity backup where fibre already exists, helping Liquid offer protected connectivity with service level agreements of up to 99%.
