Ericsson Market Unit Southern Africa has been awarded a contract for the provision of a full GSM wireless infrastructure and value-added services for mobile operator Tele-Com Lesotho.
The first phase of the project, which is expected to be worth $7.6 million, is to be completed by June and will include 28 base stations across the country.
Ericsson partner EXi will provide the engineering and hardware installation for the project, and ABB will supply civil work, including towers and containers.
Tele-Com Lesotho is jointly owned by Zimbabwe`s Econet Wireless International, SA`s Eskom, Mauritius Telecom and the Lesotho government.
Jan Embro, Ericsson Market Unit head and MD, says the contract is a good indicator of the ongoing opportunities for network providers in Africa as countries turn to wireless networks to meet their communication needs.
"Across the continent, sophisticated cellular services are capturing significant market share against a backdrop of unwieldy and unreliable fixed-line networks," says Embro.
"A functional telecommunications network is the basis of almost all commerce today, and if you think that only 2% of Africa`s 900 million people have access to a telephone, you can see the information gap that remains in front of us."
Embro says Ericsson`s long-standing partnership with Econet played a significant role in clinching the contract.
Share
