Staff Reporter
Windhoek-Paratus, the largest privately owned Pan African telecoms operator, has revealed the new look to the Old power Station in Windhoek. Together with its subsidiary Canocopy, the distributor of the Ricoh in Namibia, Paratus upgraded the structure of this historic landmark whilst erecting its LTE equipment.
Built in 1948, the Old Power Station is an iconic landmark situated in the southern industrial area. It provided 22.5 Megawatt of power to Windhoek before the finalisation of plans to build the Van Eck Powerplant in the northern industrial area.
Paratus managing director John D’Alton says their teams spent many hours contemplating the upgrade options. “Not only from the structural side of the tower to erect the LTE equipment, but also from the visual side to retain the tower as a historic landmark in Windhoek.”
In April 2016, Paratus launched its 4G LTE mobile data service across 33 base station sites in Windhoek. With the deployment of the LTE Mobile Data service, Paratus added another facet of its services towards its growing customer base.
“When we initially started negotiating the site with the current owner early in 2015, we knew that the tower required much needed attention. Not only is the site integral to our LTE expansion plans but it is reminiscent of an era gone by, a landmark that needs to be elevated as a historically relevant site in Windhoek,” adds Andrew Hall, operations executive of Paratus.
The current owner, Gerrit Mouton, bought the property from the municipality in 2003 and established what is today known as the Old Power Station Centre. The Centre houses several small businesses and is a home for budding entrepreneurs. Hall says it is a proud moment to see the years of planning, dedication and persistence has paid off.
“We are also proud that other residents have noticed the preliminary work being done and have expressed their content with the upgraded look, although in its early phases. With this, we formally plant our stake in Windhoek and finally declare that this site is now completed,” he stated.
“We are proud of the teams involved from both Paratus and Canocopy, as well as with the contractors. We applaud The Sign Shop and Sky Rope Maintenance for their continued support and guidance during this project,” concludes D’Alton.