Telecommunication operator MTC Namibia is making progress on its countrywide network deployment and upgrade, which will accommodate 3G technology, says Albertus Aochamub, senior manager of corporate services at MTC Namibia.
"The roll-out is in full swing," says Aochamub. "Technicians are working around the clock in order to meet the deadline to provide active services in December." The network will continue evolving from there, he notes.
The objective is to have the coast covered from Walvis Bay to Swakopmund and Windhoek by the end of December as part of the first phase. Phase one, he says, will benefit up to 400 000 potential users.
Phase two will be to cover the other major centres over the course of next year, he says, adding that by the end of this month the company would have constructed 87 new sites.
According to a recent MTC press release, the company has invested over US$94 million (about R708 million) since its inception 11 years ago. "Over a 12-year period that would be a total investment, in creating a world class network, in excess of US$134 million (about R1 billion) by the end of September 2007," says Jose Ferreira, MD of MTC.
By the end of the financial year 2006/7 which began on 1 October, the company is expected to invest US$51 million (about R384 million) into the network deployment, says Aochamub.
Minimal improvements
The network is 2.5G ready and the upgrade to 3G requires minimal improvements to the total infrastructure, says Aochamub.
He says the upgraded network and future 3G deployment will put the country in the league of countries on the continent that have embraced these future proof network investments. "We would become the third on the continent with a 3G network, propelling users of data services into another sphere of consumption."
The economic impact will necessarily follow, he says.
Aochamub says 88% of the population has telecoms coverage and this will be 95% by the end of 2006. He notes 46% of the country`s surface area has telecoms capacity, which will rise to 67% by the end of 2006, remembering a third of the country is desert.
"With the licence requirements to share our infrastructure where we have capacity with other mobile operators, all Namibians will have access to the same high-quality network infrastructure," says Aochamub.
"The recently announced competitor to MTC Namibia, Powercom, will, therefore, be enjoying the fruits of our investments as well."
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