Tanzanian fixed-line and mobile operator Zantel has begun the first commercial CDMA EV_DO fixed and mobile, voice and data network in Africa.
"Zantel has made a significant investment in CDMA," says spokesman Edward Wicks. He says the company is rolling out CDMA 2000 1X data services with speeds of 153Kbps and EV-DO services at up to 2.4Mbps.
Zantel has put a "value for money" data proposition to the market, with prices as low as $0.04 per megabyte. According to a company press release, it aims for rapid customer acquisition, with a simple tariff structure, based on varying megabyte bundles, and competitive device pricing.
"We have rolled out the network in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, with plans to have CDMA coverage in all major Tanzanian centres based on demand," says Wicks.
The company is primarily targeting the top-end of the market in need of high-speed data services, with corporates, executives, middle income earners and SMEs being the main target markets, he adds.
Zantel initially offered the service on a trial basis in August, then launched it commercially last week, says Wicks. "Since the commercial launch, demand for the service has been robust."
Zantel was recently awarded a fixed-line and mobile operating licence, which has created strong growth in the company, says Wicks. "The increased growth has spurred investment opportunities which are aimed at expanding the penetration of mobile telephony services in Tanzania."
The company hopes to provide further services to consumers and business during 2007. "We will utilise both our GSM and CDMA networks to provide services to enhance our offering to rather defined target markets."
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