Mach has launched its RoamHouse roaming platform. The service aims to enable mobile network operators to enter or expand in the roaming space, speeding up the time to market.
Mach has already deployed its RoamHouse service with Movicel of Angola. RoamHouse is designed to provide operators with a completely outsourced roaming function backed up by well-defined SLAs.
It provides the full portfolio of coverage expansion services offered by Mach, including Bilateral Roaming services and the Link2One Roaming Hub, and includes IREG/TADIG testing, traffic control, billing, re-pricing, data clearing, business intelligence, fraud protection, coverage services and financial settlement for mobile operators.
Supported by a single customer interface to ensure constant communications and responsiveness, Mach also works to guide operators through the implementation and management phases, delivering on-site support.
Telecom Namibia is set to link the southern African country to the consortium submarine system called West African Cable System (WACS) that links Africa to Europe.
The undersea fiber-optic cable, which was installed along the West African coast, delivered higher broadband connectivity for Namibia and its neighboring cities.
The WACS consortium includes 12 companies. They are Vodacom, Togo Telecom, Telkom SA, Telecom Namibia, Tata Communications/Neotel, Portugal Telecom/Cabo Verde Telecom, Office Congolais des Postes et Telecommunications, MTN, Congo Telecom, Cable & Wireless, Broadband Infraco and Angola Cables.
It is anticipated that the high-speed fiber-optic cable will help in reducing the cost for internet users. The cable will also be expanded to Botswana. According to media reports, Telecom Namibia has installed the required infrastructure to connect its Swakopmund’s landing station to the domestic network. The cable, which is installed in Swakopmund beach, was developed by Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks and Telecom Namibia.
Telecom Namibia anticipates that the commercial operation will be initiated in the Q2 of 2011 and hopes that the country will benefit from direct access to worldwide network cable network.
Telecom Namibia’s Managing Director, Frans Ndoroma stated that the 14,900 km WACS will provide direct connectivity between the UK, West Africa and Namibia.
Telecom Namibia is ready to connect the country to the West African Cable System (WACS), a consortium high speed submarine system linking Africa to Europe, which it hopes will lead to higher-bandwidth, cheaper data and voice services for all end-users.
The US$600 million fibre-optic cable has reached the shores of Namibia, while Telecom has already deployed infrastructure to link its landing station at Swakopmund to its domestic network and expects that commercial services could be launched by the second quarter of this year. The project will give Namibia its first direct access to global submarine cable networks.
The WACS consortium consists of twelve companies: Angola Cables, Broadband Infraco, Cable & Wireless, Congo Telecom, MTN, Office Congolais des Postes et Telecommunications, Portugal Telecom/Cabo Verde Telecom, Tata Communications/Neotel, Telecom Namibia, Telkom SA, Togo Telecom and Vodacom.
Zambia’s largest fixed-line Phone Company, Zambia Telecommunications Co., or Zamtel, is planning to invest at least $23 million in its network across the country in a bid to improve Internet services.
According to company’s CEO Kennedy Mambwe, the project is a rollout plan that is aimed at ensuring all districts in the country attain improved Internet services by the end of February.
Last year, Libya’s LAP Green Networks bought a 75% stake in the former state-owned company for $257 million, beating out bids from groups led by Angola’s Unitel Corp. and Russia’s VimpelCom Ltd. (VIP). The government retained a 25% stake in the company.
Angolan CDMA-based mobile operator, Movicel has launched pilot GSM services in its second area, Benguela Province, following its initial launch of a GSM system in the capital Luanda at the end of November.
Benguela-based customers with compatible devices will now be using a GSM SIM card in place of the CDMA equivalent.
The company has promised a new range of products and services for GSM users, whilst it is introducing free calls between users of the new network, in which it has so far reportedly invested US$100 million.
Movicel, Angolan CDMA network operator, has announced its plans to invest US$1 billion on upgrading its network over the next four years.
According to the Director General of Movicel, Bento Louren§o is investing in maintenance of CDMA network, launching modern systems and innovating technological products, as well as training of specialized technicians.
As per his statement, through this amount, the firm has guaranteed the maintenance of 600 direct jobs and fulfilled with all its social responsibilities, such as, paying regular wages, medical and medicine assistance and paying incomes tax, among other obligations.
He expects to bring forward existing planned programs that were due for completion in 2012 to be completed a year ahead of schedule.
Movicel, which has been operating in Angola since 2003 when it was set up as a subsidiary of state telephone company Angola Telecom, was partially privatized in 2009, when 80% of its shares was sold to a consortium made up of Angolan companies Portmil Investimentos e Telecomunica§µes, Modus Comunicar, Ipangue, Lambda Investement and Novatel.
If reports are to be believed, Mozambique’s government has awarded the license for a third mobile phone provider to Movitel, a division of Vietnam’s Viettel Telecom.
According to Radio Mocambique, Movitel, which also includes some Mozambican investors, will pay US$28 million for the license and invest US$400 million over the next five years to develop the business.
By awarding a third license the government of the impoverished south-east African country hopes to extend mobile phone coverage to 85% of the population of 20.3 million.
Movitel was in competition with Uni-Telecom, a joint venture between Angola’s Unitel SA and Mozambique’s Energy Capital SA and TMM, a unit of Portugal Telecom.
Mozambique’s around 7 million mobile phone users currently use either the state-owned Mcel or South Africa’s Vodacom.
If reports are to be believed, the Mozambican government has confirmed that it will finish examining bids in the international public tender for the country’s third mobile phone license this week.
Transport and Communications Minister Paulo Zucula has declared that the winner of the tender will be announced by the first week of November. The bidders’ particular technical proposals have now been evaluated by the National Communications Institute, a process in which the bidders themselves participated.
Three out of 22 interested parties have been shortlisted for the license: TMN (the cellular unit of Portugal Telecom), UNI-Telecom (a joint venture between Angolan cellco Unitel and Mozambique’s Energy Capital) and a Vietnam-backed bidder named Movitel, which is rumoured to be spearheaded by military-run GSM operator Viettel.
As at June 2010 the country was home to 5.57 million mobile phone customers, of which mCel boasted the lion’s share: four million subscribers, or 71.9% of the market.
