AIRTEL Zambia intends to launch the third generation (3G) network in the second quarter of this year.
And the firm has spent over K257.6 billion (US$53,668,760) on the installation of 151 base sites across the country.
Company commercial director Mark Ocitti said the introduction of the 3G services in the country will soon be rolled out across the country to enable subscribers get lower cost of mobile broad-band services.
“The 3G is coming but I am not going to give you more (on that), it’s coming up and when it is ready we are going to give you high speed data like you have never experienced before,” he said.
3G wireless services offer enhancements to current applications including greater data speed and increased capacity for voice.
Mr Ocitti said the services will be spread across the country including rural areas because the firm believes that communication is a basic necessity for every person.
He said this in an interview on the sidelines of the Nc’wala traditional ceremony in Chipata over the weekend. Airtel was the main sponsor of the event.
Zain Zambia, now operating as Airtel Zambia, was issued with a 3G test authorisation by Zambia Information Technology Authority in 2007 to enhance the effectiveness of technology in Zambia among other things.
And Mr Ocitti said apart from the 150 base sites installed, an additional 300 sites will be introduced by end of September this year.
He said the firm will soon introduce more exciting products for subscribers.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
This is just long overdue…we should have had 3G y end of 2008!! But glad that it’s finally here…
Are we that behind?? Anyway finally its here.
It would probably be better to go 4G at this time, otherwise they will need to upgrade their network again soon to keep up with technology
4G Say, I agree with you 100%.
The problem of changing the contracts with different names makes things delay!!!!!!!!!,..just after three
month,… we are now in Airtel,..and will probably change before this 3G contracts ends!!
#1,2,3,4
It really surprises me, to find out that Zambians as poor as they are, pay exorbitant phone charges and fees, when people in rich countries pay less for the same phone services!
Why should it cost Zambians to pay $10 (ten dollars) for only Ten (10) minutes and less to phone Europe and other developed countries and yet people in developed Countries pay $10 (ten dollars) for Sixty (60) minutes when phoning Zambia?
I don’t even know why Zambians celebrate about these Mobile phone companies when they are being exploited like no man’s business.
Our MMD politicians including President Banda has failed to protect us Zambians as these companies donate to the MMD during campaigns.Please President Banda Zambians need cheap phone services they are too poor to pay…
Shaka Oz,
Due largely to economies of scale but also partly inadequate regulation, communication prices in Africa tend to be higher than in the more developed parts of the world. There is however also quite a lot of misinformation regarding actual costs. If you are in Europe for instance and you use your Vodafone, Orange etc. cell phone to call Lusaka, you will be charged quite a bit and similarly with your Verizons and the rest. However this changes drastically when you use voice over IP (those scratch cards from asian corner stores)….and essentially that is what Skype is and you can most certainly make a call from Zambia using Skype at the same low rates…….!!
Fantastic
SHAKA OZ I agree with you. Imagine, it is cheaper to make a call from Zambia to India for those working within the company than to make a call within the country. why should this be so?
the cost has little to do with Gov and more to do will competition. for as long as new players come in and more zambian use cell fone the prices will come down. in fact the cost of voice call has reduced compared to 5 years ago and its yet to come down. the expliotation will stop soon. you guys abroad should also know that 15years ago the cost of voice calls in thoses countries was a less than it is now
people dont forget that telecoms industry requires massive investment and to recoup the money invested you need more people on the network and this is the only sure way of making calls cheaper. as it is now in zambia the numbers are just to little to gurantee cheaper calls and dont even compare with countries that have got large numbers of population. numbers count!
Finally!!! MTN better just up their game, having just attended the Nc’Wala ceremony myself, all I can say is Airtel is a company that is dedicated to Zambia and actions speak louder than words. We are ready and waiting and i’ll definately be moving my Blackberry service to Airtel, Goodbye MTN
Any improvement in speed and cost is welcome.
SHAKA OZ, it all has to do with weak laws and Zambians being unwilling to sue exploitative companies.
Let’s not be hasty even America only now is having it’s major phone providers switch to 4G.
#13 Mwanawakwitu,
In democratic countries, politicians delibeartely make laws to benefit their nationals and electorates. If the MMD government was serious they can make deliberate laws to encourage PHONECARD companies to invest in Zambia, and can even reduce gateway fees just to benefit Zambains.
The other altanative to do is what #7 Peter Cool, said (but not every Zambian has access to a computer to access SKYPE) , the MMD government should deliberately make laws and reduce tarriffs to encourage investors of CALLING PHONECARDS to invest in Zambia, this will reduce charges Zambians are paying now, and exploitative ways these Zambian phone companies are doing to Zambians, and in the end reduce poverty in Zambia. As Zambians are spending all their earnings on PHONE calling time.
It has nothing to do with cheap laws. It all comes down to Routing Transmission in the world of Telecommunication. If you use old technologies, you endure expensive fees because of too many overheads
1- For example, if a company’s IT Infrastructure is running old Microsoft Technology and you ask Microsoft to provide support that it has stopped maintaining, you will pay 3 times the rate of current technology.
2- Some Telecom companies in the western countries now ROUTE their calls via VOICE Over IP, which has less overheads and is cheaper to run. Thus, it leads to cheaper calls.
3 – For instance, SKYPE started this technology, which allows you make calls via internet or broadband. This is why UK companies like BT – British Telecom, SKY-TV & Virgin can afford to give one free calls when you sign up to their broadband and TV packages.
We also need more competition in Zambia to cap down the call charges. So far, monopoly has been driving the market very crazy.
Skype will now be easy to implement becasue ZAMTEL is installing Fibre Optic Cables for faster intenert & voice carriers
16 SHAKA OZ
PHONECARD companies will need contracts with Satellite Carriers for them to operate. The only company that could have done that was ZAMTEL. However, it did not have good technology to route all the calls and sign up external transporters. Moving forward they should be able to because ZAMTEL will able to handle the load. Has anyone wondered why when you use a PHONECARD the reception is often poor.