Nortel Networks has handed over a 50 000 subscriber GSM network in Mauritania to joint network operators Mattel and the state-owned Tunisia Telecommunications.
Malcolm Bayes, Nortel Networks vice president responsible for sub Saharan Africa, said in Johannesburg yesterday that the $14 million Mauritania project comprised the provision of a cellular telecommunications network in the country`s capital city of Mouakchott and Noudhibou, the second largest city in the West African country.
The roll-out included the provision of services in five smaller cities in the first phase of a two-phase project to bring improved telecommunications to the country`s 2.7 million inhabitants.
"The hand-over to the private-public sector joint venture took place in the fourth quarter of 2000 and reinforces our presence in West Africa. We were awarded a $27 million contract with Reliance Telecom Limited in Nigeria last year. The contract comprised the supply of four digital, fixed wireless telecommunications networks for the Nigerian cities of Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Onitsha."
Roger Diogo, Nortel Networks business development manager who was responsible for negotiating the Mauritania contract, says the client had set a tight roll-out deadline of three weeks from the arrival of equipment to commissioning.
"We were able to meet the deadline because of the commitment of our dedicated technical team, our experience in network installations and our exposure to the requirements of West African markets through the work we have undertaken in Nigeria."
He said the GSM network in the two cities comprises two DMS switches and 15 BTs.
`We have deployed our compact Piconode GSM solution in the five small towns. This system is designed to provide cost effective service in low subscriber densities while providing access to the networks in the larger cities. This mixed network configuration is ideal for use in Mauritania where the bulk of the population is concentrated in large cities or smaller, more remote towns."
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