from ALFRED SHILONGO in Windhoek, Namibia
Namibia Bureau
WINDHOEK, (CAJ News) – TELECOM Namibia (TN) is bolstering its mobile network capacity after sealing a major partnership with Huawei.
The five-year partnership will facilitate the deployment of advanced mobile radio access technology such as 4G, 4.5G and 5G to bring quality, fast and reliable mobile broadband services to TN consumers.
This will include the rolling out of new and upgrading existing mobile base stations across the Southern African country.
It is part of a five-year Integrated Strategic Business Plan (ISBP) 2027.
TN will procure mobile radio access equipment from the Chinese-headquartered Huawei to expand capacity and coverage.
“This collaboration underscores our dedication to delivering unparalleled mobile connectivity and bridging the digital divide in communities across our country,” said Dr Stanley Shanapi, Chief Executive Officer of Telecom Namibia.
Speaking at the announcement of the partnership on Monday, the executive believes the Telecom Namibia partnership with Huawei is a commitment to accelerate the expansion of its mobile network footprint and deliver enhanced services to urban and rural areas across Namibia.
In March, MTC, Namibia’s largest mobile carrier, and Chinese company Huawei Technologies on Monday conducted the country’s first 5G technology demonstration.
Michael Zhang, Managing Director of Huawei Namibia, represented the company at the signing of the formal cooperation agreement with Telecom Namibia.
“This partnership not only underscores our strong relationship with Telecom Namibia but also demonstrates our dedication to advancing the telecommunications infrastructure in Namibia,” Zhang.
Telecom Namibia has a market share of 10 percent in mobile but is dominant in the fixed network space with over 89 percent market share.
Last week, the company signed an agreement with Sparkle, the first international service provider in Italy, for provision of capacity services on the Equiano subsea cable, connecting Portugal to South Africa.
Sparkle boasts extensive coverage in the continent, a wide network of points-of-presence mostly North Africa and Nigeria, South Africa as well as Djibouti.
– CAJ News