Namibia has launched new connectivity infrastructure in the Kunene Region, a largely rural and remote part of the country where access to reliable internet has remained limited for years. The rollout, unveiled in early February 2026, is part of a broader government effort to extend digital services beyond urban centres and bring more communities into the country’s digital economy.
The project was spearheaded by the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia through the Universal Service Fund and officially launched by Namibia’s Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Emma Theofelus. At the centre of the deployment is a new telecommunications tower in the Ehomba area of the Epupa Constituency, roughly 100 kilometres north of Opuwo. According to officials, the infrastructure is designed to support mobile and data services in communities that have historically fallen outside commercial network expansion plans.
For the Namibian government, the Kunene launch is less about speed bragging rights and more about access. Connectivity in the region is expected to unlock practical benefits, from enabling digital learning and telemedicine to supporting small businesses and improving access to government services. In areas where residents often travel long distances to connect or communicate, even basic mobile broadband can have an outsized economic and social impact.
The infrastructure was financed through the Universal Service Fund, a pool set aside to support connectivity projects in unserved and underserved areas. While the government has not disclosed the exact cost of the Kunene installation, it forms part of wider Universal Service Fund investments that have allocated around N$42 million to rural telecommunications projects in recent deployment phases. These funds are typically used to de-risk expansion in regions where private operators see limited immediate returns.
The Kunene rollout highlights how African governments are increasingly treating connectivity as essential infrastructure rather than a luxury. As Namibia pushes toward its long-term digital transformation goals, projects like this signal a shift toward targeted, state-backed interventions to close access gaps. For regions like Kunene, the real test will be how quickly connectivity translates into everyday use, and whether similar investments follow across the country’s most disconnected areas.
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