Paratus Zambia and FNB Zambia renew internet connectivity deal
First National Bank (FNB) is set to continue providing its customers with reliable high-speed electronic banking services thanks to a renewed contract signed this week with internet service provider Paratus Telecommunications Zambia.
Under the terms of the contract, Paratus enables FNB to provide a robust electronic banking platform to its customers across the bank’s branches and agencies throughout the country, connecting FNB Zambia to the Bank of Zambia’s Electronic Clearing House and the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) as well as the MTN and Airtel mobile networks. Paratus is also connecting FNB Zambia back to the bank’s head office in South Africa via a redundant Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS).
Paratus Telecom Zambia’s Country Manager, Marius van Vuuren, and FNB Zambia Chief Executive Officer, Leonard Haynes, signed the agreement at a ceremony last week, extending the companies six-year working relationship.
“This contract reaffirms our business commitment towards the partnership we have with FNB in Zambia as well as in Africa. This also confirms that we are the leader in the ISP Industry when it comes to reliable connectivity for banking services. The Paratus Telecom Group provides connectivity to more than 20 banking and financial institutions across Southern Africa. We are able to do this because we invest time, resources and money into our world-class infrastructure,” said Mr. van Vuuren.
“In support of our aspiration to be the leading bank in Zambia, we require systems that enable to meet the service demands our customers who, as a norm and as expected, will settle for nothing less than exceptional service, anytime and anywhere. Paratus has been a reliable partner in delivering on that service expectation. That is the reason why we are pleased with the contract renewal that will see us extend our partnership,” said Mr. Haynes.
“We have been partners with Paratus Telecom for many years. Because Paratus is familiar with the operations and needs of FNB and the Banking Industry, we approached them to provide our connectivity needs. Over the years, Paratus has been providing exceptional service to us and has ensured that our network grows as required and remains scalable,” said Vishern Chetty, Chief Operations Officer of FNB Zambia.
“Paratus provides not only link quality, but also the exceptional support service that has been the key success behind its offering. I do not know of any other service provider in Zambia that provides the level of service that Paratus gives to customers,” added Andrew Banda, Head of IT for FNB Zambia.
Source: Langmead & Baker
