Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) activated its 1000th network tower in Okadhiya, Okatyali Constituency of the Oshana Region on Tuesday.
The tower forms part of the project that began in 2017, in which MTC aimed to expand its voice and data coverage footprint across Namibians.
Since its inception, 268 sites have been completed, with another 24 currently under construction.
Speaking at the activation ceremony, Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Peya Mushelenga, stated that smart businesses consider telecommunications infrastructure alongside utilities such as electricity and water supply and transportation.
“As a result, we must make the presence of such factors a reality in remote areas in order to attract investors. This is an e-commerce era and leadership in telecommunications is absolutely necessary and an economic imperative,” he said.
According to Mushelenga, the Namibian government has placed a high priority on tracking the current adoption and use of key ICT systems, services and solutions in the aforementioned sectors in order to demonstrate ICT evolution trends such as the planned implementation of 5G technologies.
As a result, he said, the government has directed the Communication Regulatory Authority (CRAN) to develop a 5G (IMT-2020) strategy for consideration of technology implementation in the Republic of Namibia.
“I wish to reaffirm the government’s commitment to providing services to Namibians. I also want to thank MTC for their efforts in connecting our vast country, and thus bringing our people closer to eliminating information gaps between urban and rural, rich and poor, privileged and disadvantaged,” he said.
MTC Managing Director, Licky Erastus, stated that commissioning a network tower forms part of fulfilling the company’s entrusted mandate of providing inclusive and quality connectivity, as the company intentionally leads and drives to bridge the digital gap in society.
“As MTC, we strongly believe that in order for us to ensure sheer inclusivity and equal economic participation from all citizens, the extension of our network’s footprint to all corners of the country is essential,” he said.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
