With more than 25 years of international telecommunications experience, Gaetan Soltesz is the new GM of FAST Congo, the joint venture formed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between Paratus Group and Global Broadband Solutions (GBS) in 2023.
Soltesz’s appointment comes at a critical time for digital infrastructure development in the DRC and reflects Paratus Group’s ambition to strengthen commercial growth, expand national fibre reach and position FAST Congo as a leading wholesale connectivity provider in Central Africa.
One of Gaetan’s priorities for FAST Congo is to strengthen national fibre infrastructure partnerships and expand the commercialisation of existing backbone assets. FAST Congo currently operates a high-capacity, 600km fibre route between the coastal submarine cable landing points and Kinshasa, to which ongoing upgrades and capacity expansion are planned to support imminent substantial traffic growth.
“Connectivity infrastructure is a strategic enabler of economic development,” said Gaetan. “By working closely with stakeholders across both the public and private sectors, we can unlock greater value from existing infrastructure while supporting national digital transformation ambitions.”
Paratus Group chief commercial officer Martin Cox said he is excited about Gaetan’s appointment. “We’ve attracted the highest calibre of leader with Gaetan. We warmly welcome him to Paratus Group and believe his wealth of knowledge, leadership skills and innate understanding of the African telecoms industry will add greater impetus to our expansion strategy.”
Experience
Before joining FAST Congo, Gaetan spent five years as GM of Silicone Connect, where he launched the company and built it into a high-capacity wholesale carrier with cross-border reach.
His earlier career included 17 years at Cisco, where he held senior positions overseeing large-scale cloud and networking programmes for major telecoms operators. As a telecoms executive, his experience spans infrastructure development, wholesale carrier strategy, digital transformation and international programme leadership.
About Paratus Group
Paratus Group is a leading pan-African telecoms and network services provider focused on delivering Africa’s quality network. The group operates in 16 countries across sub-Equatorial Africa, with international points of presence in Europe, the UK and the US. Rooted in the heart of Africa for more than 23 years, Paratus exists to advance and empower the continent and its people. Africa is the reason for everything we do. Africa is our purpose. Continued investment in infrastructure, including the East-to-West Africa fibre route, the Express Route from Johannesburg to the rest of the world, and Paratus 500, supports its mission to connect half a billion people across sub-Equatorial Africa. Learn more at paratus.africa.