MTC to expand its coverage

NAMIBIA’S sole cellular network operator, Mobile Telecommunications (MTC) has signed a five-year exclusive contract with leading global communications company Motorola Limited for the supply of specialised equipment that will see the company reaching more people around the country.

The deal came through after Motorola was awarded a tender to provide and install the new equipment. The two companies also have an existing 10-year relationship in the field.MTC will get GSM/GPRS and Canopy access network equipment, which should help the cellular service provider expand its network to reach 95 per cent of Namibia’s population.To date MTC has a coverage range of 86 per cent of the population with 250 base stations spread across the country.MTC’s Senior Manager for Corporate Services, Albertus Aochamub, yesterday said equipment to be acquired from Motorola includes base stations, base-station controllers, transcoders, GPRS core and Canopy equipment.He added that under the agreement, MTC had also signed up for Motorola’s software upgrade programme, meaning that MTC would over the next five years receive upgrades of the Motorola equipment.Motorola expressed joy at having won the tender in a competitive process that had involved a number of known industry players; and said this deal confirmed the company’s position in helping providing wireless networking solutions, not only to Namibia but to the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.MTC Managing Director Bengt Strenge said the expansion programme would enable his company to improve the quality of the existing network and help ease congestion.”We are expanding our network capacity rapidly and rolling out to the rural areas we have not previously penetrated.In 2006, we will focus on road coverage and ensure that all main routes in Namibia are covered.Our extended coverage will also enable us to reach new target markets as we will now reach 95 per cent of the population by end 2006,” he said.This latest news might come as a welcome relief to consumers who have had to suffer network congestion and other cellular mishaps and have been clamouring for other players to join the arena for want of choice and better service.Having been operational since 1995, MTC also offers MMS services, e-mail and Internet access.The two companies also have an existing 10-year relationship in the field.MTC will get GSM/GPRS and Canopy access network equipment, which should help the cellular service provider expand its network to reach 95 per cent of Namibia’s population.To date MTC has a coverage range of 86 per cent of the population with 250 base stations spread across the country.MTC’s Senior Manager for Corporate Services, Albertus Aochamub, yesterday said equipment to be acquired from Motorola includes base stations, base-station controllers, transcoders, GPRS core and Canopy equipment.He added that under the agreement, MTC had also signed up for Motorola’s software upgrade programme, meaning that MTC would over the next five years receive upgrades of the Motorola equipment.Motorola expressed joy at having won the tender in a competitive process that had involved a number of known industry players; and said this deal confirmed the company’s position in helping providing wireless networking solutions, not only to Namibia but to the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.MTC Managing Director Bengt Strenge said the expansion programme would enable his company to improve the quality of the existing network and help ease congestion.”We are expanding our network capacity rapidly and rolling out to the rural areas we have not previously penetrated.In 2006, we will focus on road coverage and ensure that all main routes in Namibia are covered.Our extended coverage will also enable us to reach new target markets as we will now reach 95 per cent of the population by end 2006,” he said.This latest news might come as a welcome relief to consumers who have had to suffer network congestion and other cellular mishaps and have been clamouring for other players to join the arena for want of choice and better service.Having been operational since 1995, MTC also offers MMS services, e-mail and Internet access.