PDM’s push for fibre broadband in new housing

Broadband has become essential infrastructure for education, healthcare, employment and everyday communication. For the Popular Democratic Movement, the decisive point is that new housing creates a lasting opportunity to install modern connectivity rather than forcing households to depend on older copper networks or unaffordable alternatives. PDM Members of Parliament (MPs) are therefore seeking a clear national requirement for fibre-optic infrastructure in every new housing development.

The proposal is not that each household must subscribe to broadband immediately. It is that homes should be constructed with fibre pathways, safe termination points and access for competing internet service providers. PDM sees this as practical preparation for Namibia’s growing urban population, including expansion around Windhoek. Australia offers a useful reference through the National Broadband Network and NBN Co’s fibre-to-the-premises program, although the scale, geography and regulatory arrangements differ. The transferable lesson is that connectivity built into housing is usually faster, cheaper and more reliable than later retrofits.

From policy demand to parliamentary action

PDM MPs are using questions, committee submissions, debates and meetings with ministers, regulators, developers and telecommunications companies to advance the policy. Their immediate objective is to secure government agreement that new housing policy should treat fibre access as a core requirement rather than an optional commercial feature. Parliamentary discussions also help determine which ministry should coordinate implementation and which authority should verify compliance before occupied buildings are approved.

The parliamentary task involves defining an enforceable duty. PDM is calling for fibre-ready cabling and conduit to be installed during construction, rather than after residents have moved in. Where apartment buildings are concerned, the design should permit service providers to reach individual units without rebuilding shared infrastructure. Clear records of cable routes, termination points and building access must also form part of the approval process, so a development does not claim to be “connected” merely because a cable passes nearby.

This long-term approach reflects PDM’s wider view of national infrastructure. The party’s railway renewal strategy illustrates the same emphasis on coordinated investment, durable public assets and planning beyond a single budget cycle. Broadband requires comparable continuity: underground routes, installation standards and access arrangements must remain useful as technology and consumer demand change.

Designing a workable national requirement

A uniform national framework would prevent a patchwork of standards between municipalities and private developers. PDM’s proposal covers new houses, townhouses, apartments and publicly funded housing, as well as residential parts of mixed-use developments. Major redevelopments that replace internal wiring should also fall within the requirement. Existing homes may need a separate retrofit programme, but they should not be allowed to delay improvements in genuinely new construction.

Fibre-ready infrastructure must also deliver genuine choice. PDM proposes open-access rules so that a building owner cannot sign an exclusive arrangement with one provider. The relevant wholesale access should be published on transparent terms, and multiple accredited providers should be able to use the same physical network. Australia’s experience with apartment buildings in Sydney and Melbourne, where body corporate rules and retrofit access can complicate connections, demonstrates why building infrastructure should be designed from the outset. Australia’s NBN Co new-development process likewise shows the value of arranging wiring while a building is being constructed.

The national technical schedule should specify suitable conduit, safe cable routes, accessible termination points, adequate capacity and common labelling arrangements. Independent certification could confirm that each development meets the standard before an occupancy certificate is issued. “Fibre-ready” should have a measurable meaning, not remain a promotional description. It should indicate that a provider can activate service without substantial excavation or the replacement of newly installed internal wiring.

Funding access without pricing out families

A mandate will fail if its costs are unclear or placed entirely on buyers. Developers can reasonably contribute to fibre installed within their projects, while government can support trunk infrastructure and address developments where commercial returns are limited. Public housing programmes require particular attention because the people with the greatest need for reliable connectivity may have the least ability to absorb installation charges. PDM therefore supports transparent cost-sharing rules rather than an unfinanced instruction to the construction sector.

Australian cities provide a relevant example of avoiding repeated disruption. Melbourne and other Australian road authorities use “dig once” coordination for major utility and street works, allowing several networks to share prepared routes. Namibia can apply the same principle by coordinating fibre deployment with road construction, water, sewerage and electricity works. This lowers duplication, reduces disruption and makes future maintenance easier. The arrangement must still protect the independence of telecommunications providers and prevent one operator from controlling shared infrastructure.

Compliance should operate in stages. Construction plans could be checked before work begins, site certificates could confirm installation, and final approvals could verify that documentation and provider access are in place. A national register would allow officials and residents to identify which developments comply. PDM is also calling for targeted public support where geographic conditions or low housing values would otherwise exclude whole communities, because a national standard must reduce digital inequality rather than reproduce it through exceptions that benefit only profitable projects.

Protecting competition and public accountability

Competition should be built into the mandate instead of added later through regulatory intervention. Fibre infrastructure should be available to competing providers under fair wholesale terms, with reasonable activation periods and published fees. Australian consumers are accustomed to comparing fixed-line plans from providers such as Telstra, Optus, TPG and Aussie Broadband, and switching remains routine in a mature market. Namibia’s growing digital economy needs the same ability to compare service, price and reliability, even if its providers and market conditions are different.

Fibre availability alone does not guarantee an affordable connection. Residents may still face activation charges, installation delays, restrictive contracts or limited choices. Monthly internet plans are often bundled with mobile services in Australia, creating familiarity with package comparisons and switching, but Namibia will require its own consumer protections tailored to local incomes and market structure. Regulators should publish information about connected units, available providers, wholesale prices and complaint outcomes so that policy can be assessed from evidence rather than announcements.

Public accountability also depends on civic participation. An international account of public memory in practice describes how a collective mural in Buenos Aires kept questions about victims and impunity visible in public life. That example highlights how communities can turn an abstract policy issue into a shared concern. Fibre policy similarly benefits when residents, developers and service providers can see where infrastructure is being installed, understand the obligations attached to it and raise problems through accessible public channels.

Delivering a visible rollout

PDM MPs are advocating a sequenced implementation pathway. National standards and legal amendments must be accompanied by technical guidance for developers, accreditation and supervision rules for providers, and a realistic timetable for local authorities. Public housing programmes should begin incorporating fibre requirements within the same planning cycle. Parliamentary oversight should then examine whether construction approvals reflect the new standard and whether delayed regulations are preventing projects from proceeding.

The party intends to keep the policy visible through media statements, district meetings and public forums where residents can ask about charges, installation and provider choice. Dates and venues for these activities are available through upcoming PDM events. Such engagement is particularly important because the cost of poor connectivity is often experienced first by households with fewer alternatives. Public reporting can reveal emerging problems while the rollout is still being adjusted.

The standard PDM MPs are seeking is straightforward: every new home should be built with fibre-ready infrastructure that permits fair access to competing providers. Success should be measured through compliant developments, connected households, affordable plans, reliable service and fewer excluded communities. This approach would turn Namibia’s housing growth into a foundation for broad digital participation rather than allowing another generation of buildings to begin life with outdated connections.