MTC and Motorola in wireless trial

NAMIBIA’S sole operating cellphone company, MTC, has announced that it has signed an agreement with Motorola and the GSM Association to carry out a trial for wind and solar power systems to support cell sites in remote areas.

The trial – the first of its kind – will involve the setting up of a Motorola wind and solar power system at an operational MTC base station. The site would remain a part of MTC’s current wireless network.The renewable energy solution is said to be an alternative to using fuel generators when a grid connection is not available or could take a long time to connect, or in places where electricity tariffs are foreseen to rise sharply.MTC Managing Director Jose Ferreira said this trial was part of the company’s market growth strategy which would enable network extension and ensure coverage into the rural areas.”We are confident that this trial will enable us to extend our network coverage into the more rural parts of Namibia – where electricity is not always a viable option – quickly, efficiently and with a reliable solution.”Motorola’s innovation and design expertise will enable wind and solar solutions to be deployed in an optimal format for wireless cellular networks,” he said.Motorola, a global leader in wireless and broadband communications, said the company was ‘very excited’ to be part of the trial process.Stefano Mattiello of Motorola Networks and Enterprise, Sub Saharan Africa said, “Motorola’s heritage in innovative communication networks is being applied in optimising this type of solution for rural areas and it’s very exciting that we have the first trial anywhere in the world, here in Africa.”The trial is expected to run from April to July.The site would remain a part of MTC’s current wireless network.The renewable energy solution is said to be an alternative to using fuel generators when a grid connection is not available or could take a long time to connect, or in places where electricity tariffs are foreseen to rise sharply.MTC Managing Director Jose Ferreira said this trial was part of the company’s market growth strategy which would enable network extension and ensure coverage into the rural areas.”We are confident that this trial will enable us to extend our network coverage into the more rural parts of Namibia – where electricity is not always a viable option – quickly, efficiently and with a reliable solution.”Motorola’s innovation and design expertise will enable wind and solar solutions to be deployed in an optimal format for wireless cellular networks,” he said.Motorola, a global leader in wireless and broadband communications, said the company was ‘very excited’ to be part of the trial process.Stefano Mattiello of Motorola Networks and Enterprise, Sub Saharan Africa said, “Motorola’s heritage in innovative communication networks is being applied in optimising this type of solution for rural areas and it’s very exciting that we have the first trial anywhere in the world, here in Africa.”The trial is expected to run from April to July.