Ngaevarue Katjangua
Windhoek-The Mobile Telecommunications company (MTC) has erected 14 new network towers countrywide over a period of four months in an attempt to increase and expand network coverage.
The new tower sites are at Okahandja, Rehoboth, Tschudi, Windhoek (Soweto), Otjiwarongo, Otjokavare, Fransfontein, Swartbooisdrif, Katima Mulilo and Rundu Mall.
MTC is mandated to provide telecommunications services to all Namibians and it is against this background that the network expansion programme has been in progression especially in rural areas.
MTC chief of human capital and corporate affairs Tim Ekandjo said the need to keep up with rapidly growing demand of customer remains a priority to MTC. “The investment in our network is an absolute priority, because we need to keep up with the rapidly growing demand of our customers. Just in 2017 within a period of four months, we have erected fourteen new sites and we will continue to roll out more sites throughout the course of the year.”
He added that more new sites are planned for 2017 in both rural and urban areas, “but the company remains concerned that it takes over six months to get environmental clearance to erect sites, which delays the roll out plans.”
Ekandjo therefore urged authorities to speed up the approval process, especially environmental clearance targets, “as the current situation is in our opinion unnecessarily long.”
MTC has committed itself to bringing communication services to rural areas and as a company “has taken it upon themselves to make sure that development gets to each and every corner of Namibia,” Ekandjo remarked.