Siemens and Vodacom Tanzania Limited have signed a network support and maintenance agreement, valued at $12 million over the two year contract period. The contract gives Siemens full responsibility for the running and quality maintenance of the network, for the duration of the contract, commencing April 1, 2001.
Commercial operation of the Vodacom Tanzania network commenced six months ago and has since notched up some 80 000 subscribers. An extension of phase one also saw the addition of 16 base stations, bringing the total to 100 base stations.
Siemens Telecommunications Chief Operations Officer, Pete da Silva said: "The next crucial step is for the network operator, Vodacom Tanzania, to realise the highest possible return on their investments. This requires a network with optimal capacity, availability and performance to make the best possible use of the installed resources."
In terms of the support contract and to secure high quality standards, Siemens is required to provide efficient operation, high availability, updated services and further general support and maintenance of Vodacom's cellular network in Tanzania and its sub-systems. Services will include network surveillance; maintenance, performance, configuration and security management; subscriber Call Centre and Billing Centre assistance; Spare pool Management, Site and Plant Maintenance as well as Radio Network Planning and Optimisation.
The programme Siemens will provide, said da Silva, is focused on a combination of both proactive and reactive services and strategies to provide full network support and maintenance during the operating phase of the network. "Siemens' extensive range of services are supported by an on-site, regional and central service organisation with fallback facilities and pre-defined escalation strategies to ensure that services are reliable, consistent and above all fast.
"In addition, Siemens services will ensure that Vodacom Tanzania Limited meet the stringent requirements of the local Tanzanian regulator, to provide a high quality network. The contract will cover the installed equipment - which currently includes their Mobile Switching Centre, over 100 Base Stations and Microwave links installed across the country - as well as any new capacity which Vodacom Tanzania is planning to roll-out during the specified time period," da Silva expanded.
With Vodacom's initial investment of $80 million, the network has already grown significantly since its commercial launch on August 15 and has created more than 130 employment opportunities.
"The Siemens team of skilled workers are dedicated to the task of providing support for the Vodacom network and are actively involved in a knowledge transfer of GSM technology skills to local Tanzania staff members of Vodacom," da Silva said.
With over 100 base stations now covering all the major cities and highways in Tanzania, including Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Arusha, and Dodoma, the Vodacom Tanzania network is the largest network in the country and is predicted to reach at least 200,000 subscribers by the end of the second year of operation. "The growth in the number of subscribers will be accompanied by an expansion of the covered areas," da Silva summed up. The largest supplier of cellular infrastructure in Africa, Siemens has commissioned over 31 networks in Africa, enabling mobile communications in these countries.
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