Staff Reporter
Windhoek-Namibia’s largest mobile telecommunication operator, MTC, says they have commissioned new six network LTE (4G) sites in Windhoek as part of its major network and infrastructure upgrade project. The new sites are an upgrade to 3G and 4G in order to cater for a substantial network coverage and capacity, especially in around the central business district of Windhoek.
A 2016 study by Ericsson indicates that between 2016 and 2022, the traffic generated by smartphones will increase by 10 times, and by 2022, there will be 12 times more mobile data traffic in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
It is anticipated that Africa will experience a twelvefold increase in mobile data traffic up to 2022, driven by a strong growth in smartphone subscriptions and demand for data-intensive applications like video.
By 2021, the average smartphone will generate 6.8 GB of mobile data traffic per month compared to the 1.6 GB per month. Much of that will likely be video, with more than half of all mobile data traffic in 2016 recorded as video-related content, says Ericsson in its future mobile data usage and traffic growth mobility report.
It is in anticipation of this data boom that MTC has commissioned the upgrade of its Klein Windhoek MH, Auasblick, BPI House, Commercial Centre, Wernhil Express MH, Wernhil sites to enhance LTE services in the CBD.
According to Tim Ekandjo, MTC’s chief human capital and corporate affairs officer, 50 new sites are planned for Khomas Region.
A site share refers to a shared cell tower, by one or two network operators/carriers, for their individual network coverage spectrums. It involves carriers sharing the same cell tower, antenna frame or rooftop, but carriers will still install their own access infrastructure.