The Telecom Namibia Group today announced that the appointment of ZTE Corporation (ZTE) to build a unified mobile network that will provide the Group with a fully transformed 2G/3G/4G networks starting with immediate effect.

The partnership – which entails the designing, planning, supply, delivery and implementation of IMS GSM LTE network infrastructure for Leo and Telecom Namibia, was formalised today at signing ceremony at the Telecom Namibia Head Office in Windhoek. This was followed by a briefing with the local media houses.

Frans Ndoroma, Telecom Namibia Managing Directors, said, “This will result in a major enhancement of Leo’s network quality and efficiency, enabling improved customer experience and richer applications on the mobile platform, and strengthening Leo’s competitiveness.”

Ndoroma said the deal is worth U$46 million and involves the rollout of base stations in three phases. This includes a number of road coverage sites throughout the country as well.

The brand new network will be capable of delivering download speeds of up to 100Mb/s for LTE and 21 Mb/s for 3G.

In terms of the contract, the project will deliver a converged switching platform for both fixed and mobile service with an IMS (IP multimedia systems) core for personal multi-media communications.

It will also deliver mobile radio access networks, both 3G and Long Term Evolution (LTE) – also known as 4G technology – to expand the overall coverage and data capacity for Leo, as well as integrating this IMS core with our fixed network to provide a single point for activation and service provisioning as well as billing interface with the Group’s newly installed state-of-the-art Billing system.

Ndoroma said building the Group’s network on an IMS core platform will give customers a big advantage in terms of price and quality of service adding: “With this unique platform we will optimise time, resources, and results on all IP communication services – from fixed and mobile phone calls to Internet access, from social networks to email,” he said.

The Group’s strategic orientation is towards fixed-mobile convergence, he added.

“More importantly, the IMS solution will also support most of Telecom Namibia’s existing PSTN/ISDN services and other multiple legacy interfaces, such as POTS,” the MD stated.

In parallel to the core network and Value-Added Services platform enhancement phase, base stations will initially be deployed to replace the existing 2G sites of Leo and CDMA base stations. The CDMA network is going to be recovered once all CDMA customers have been transferred to the new Leo network.

Ndoroma promised customers a variety of different products and services in the near future such as sales bundles, integrated tariffs and products and applications with convergent features.

“Aggressive network roll-out, fixed-mobile convergence and innovative service offerings will drive our future growth and are pre-requisites for success of what we are starting to do from now,” he stressed.

This project is among the biggest projects Telecom Namibia has undertaken so far, he said.

“Implementation of this project will allow us not only to expand mobile services and improve quality, but also help satisfy the increasing demand for mobile data and make fixed-mobile convergence a reality in Namibia,” he concluded.

28 February 2013

In line with its corporate social investment, Telecom Namibia granted 14 bursaries valued at N$1.3 million to disadvantaged and financially needy students from all 13 regions to pursue their studies at institutions of higher learning in the country. Last year a total of 20 bursaries were awarded under the Telecom Namibia Bursary Scheme. The scheme has 82 students who are pursuing their higher education goals and meet national labour needs. The handover ceremony was held in Windhoek on Monday, 28 January 2013, and was officiated by the Deputy Minister of Education Dr David Namwandi. Also present at the occasion were the Telecom Namibia Managing Director Frans Ndoroma and the company’s Senior Manager for Training and Development Dr Raimo Naanda.

The focus of the Telecom Namibia Bursary Scheme is to contribute to building Namibia’s human resources capacity mainly in the fields of accounting, electroninic engineering, telecommunications engineering and information technology to address both company-specific and national skills requirements.

The bursary recipients for the 2013 academic year are:

1. Loundy /Goagoseb, from Karas Region, for Bachelor of Accounting at the Polytechnic of Namibia

2. Jennifer Smith, from Hardap Region, for Bachelor of Accounting at the University of Namibia

3. Gerson Kanduuombe, from Erongo Region, Bachelor of Electronic Engineering, at the Polytechnic of Namibia

4. Tuuliki Autoni, from Omusati Region, for Bachelor of Electronic Engineering at the Polytechnic of Namibia

5. Herman Shikusho, from Kavango Region, for Bachelor of Electronic Engineering at the Polytechnic of Namibia

6. Limbere Steven, from Kavango Region, for Bachelor of Electronic Engineering at the University of Namibia

7. Romario Uirab, from Erongo Region, for Bachelor of Electronic Engineering at the Polytechnic of Namibia

8. Johannes Amakali, from Oshikoto Region, for Bachelor of Electronic Engineering at the Polytechnic of Namibia

9. Visken Sililo, from Caprivi Region, for Bachelor of Electronic Engineering at the University of Namibia

10. Kautoora Mukuambi, from Khomas Region, for Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at the Polytechnic of Namibia

11. Linea Kayavala, from Ohangwena Region, for Bachelor of Electronic Engineering at the University of Namibia

12. Kaliketu Hashipara, from Otjozondjupa Region, for Bachelor of Electronic Engineering at the University of Namibia

13. Hawakeshe Kamwangha, from Oshana Region, for Bachelor of Telecommunication Engineering at the Polytechnic of Namibia

14. Ailonga Aupindi, also from Oshana Region, for Bachelor of Electronic Engineering at the Polytechnic of Namibia Telecom Namibia Managing Director Frans Ndoroma said the bursaries granted are but a small contribution to the national effort of deveolpoing the skills of young Namibians.

“We are giving these young people this opportunity because of an awareness that the achievement of our strategic objective of a sustainable, world-class company and the creation of a better life for all as encapsulated in Vision 2030 depends, in the long term, on the level of investment in quality education and training we are making today,”

Ndoroma said. Deputy Minister of Education Dr David Namwandi said that the handover of bursaries was a response to the clarion call to makeg education a shared responsibitly of all stakeholders.

“Each bursary awarded by coprorate Namibia strengthens our offensive on provery, unemployment and social exculsion, by providing learners from disadvantaged communities with an opputuinty to access quality education,” the deputy minister said. Dr Namwandi said Government has made great investments in education since independence 23 years ago, but that more still has to be done in ensuring that Namibians have the skills required by the economy.

“We are therefore proud of Telecom Namibia whose acts of corporate giving are geared towards making a difference in our society year-after-year, especially by creating opportunities for young Namibians to acquire skills needed to grow the economy and extricate our people from poverty,” he said.

29 November 2012

Deal gives Telecom Namibia a key foothold in the GSM operator business

Telecom Namibia on Wednesday closed the acquisition of Powercom (Pty) Ltd t/a Leo, Namibia’s second mobile operator.

The Sale of Shares Agreement was entered into between Telecom Namibia and Guinea Fowl Investments Two (Pty) Ltd, Powercom (Pty) Ltd, Investec Bank Ltd and Nedbank Ltd on 2 March 2012, followed by the Sale of Shares reinstatement and amending agreement said by the above parties on 13 November 2012. The transaction which sought to transfer control of Powercom t/a Leo to Telecom Namibia was duly approved by the Communication Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) on 11 October 2012. The transaction was already approved by the Namibia Competition Commission (NaCC) on 27 April this year. At a special ceremony held in Windhoek on 28 November 2012, Telecom Namibia paid the purchase consideration of N$2.00 to Guinea Fowl Investments Two (Pty) Ltd in respect of the acquisition of 100% equity interests in Powercom (Pty) Ltd. The acquisition gave Telecom Namibia a key foothold in the GSM operator market and created an important opportunity for the company to pursue its fixed-mobile convergence strategy. The purchase consideration of N$2.00, which is the amount which is paid by Telecom Namibia to the sellers of Powercom (Pty) Ltd, is the repayment of debt in Leo amounting to N$180 million. Of this amount, N$60 million was transferred upon signature of the Sale of Shares Agreement, while an amount of N$120 million is repayable over a three year period.

Importance of the Acquisition

Welcoming the deal on Wednesday, Information and Communication Technology Minister Joel Kaapanda said:” As shareholder, the Government is happy that the deal that was approved by Cabinet is finally concluded. The way we value this acquisition is not based on just the net tangible assets. We value this deal based on what we think eventually it will be worth.”Hon. Kaapanda said that the local mobile industry was still developing and that there was huge growth potential. Telecom’s Board Chairman Joseph Iita said the acquisition was “an exciting step forward” in support of the strategic intent of our company to go GSM.

The Minister further said that the acquisition of GSM network assets will be beneficial to strengthening the overall operation efficiency of Telecom Namibia's mobile service, providing a better customer service, sustainable growth, competitiveness and innovation into the future.” “We envision Leo’s takeover as a rosy garden of straightforward synergies thanks to a set of complementary network technologies, spectrum positions and operations,” Iita said. He said Leo was a critical resource for Telecom Namibia in the company’s quest to remain competitive and deliver shareholder value, adding that it was good for competition and innovation, especially in the mobile arena.