Alcatel-Lucent is to enable Telesis Tanzania to offer affordable 4G services by providing the company with mobile broadband technology
Alcatel-Lucent said that the move has the potential to stimulate economic growth as well as business and cultural life in the east African country
Telesis operates as a Mobile Virtual Network Aggregator (MVNA), supporting services for a number of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) which serve their customers using Telesis’ infrastructure.
Telesis Tanzania is focused on developing individual, tailored, and cost-effective solutions for its MVNO partners by offering advanced technology infrastructure, proven commercial and distribution capabilities, enhanced commercial and operational support and managed services.
These MVNO’s include licensed mobile operators, Internet service providers (ISP), governments, banks and business partners.
To support these efforts, Alcatel-Lucent will provide Telesis with its comprehensive 4G LTE mobile broadband solution.
Affordable nationwide broadband connectivity will act as a catalyst for the development of a digital-based economy by increasing ICT literacy, supporting national initiatives aimed at socio-economic development and increasing demand for investment in complementary infrastructure and industries.
The mobile broadband network will be launched using the digital dividend spectrum available for Long Term Evolution (LTE) services. The LTE network offers speeds exceeding 100 megabits per second (Mbps).
LTE is expected to revolutionise the use of technology with regards to mobile consumer, healthcare, transportation, energy, security, agriculture, sales and payments industries and infrastructure, to name a few.
The network will act as a backbone for these initiatives by providing service resilience and continuity.
“The wireless broadband project allows us to work towards bridging the gap in the digital divide by addressing the key stumbling blocks – access and affordability,” said Mihayo Wilmore, director and co-founder of Telesis.
“Both Alcatel-Lucent and Telesis have been entrusted by the regulator (TCRA) and the Tanzanian Government at large to truly become a game changer, leading the establishment of a business model where collaboration rather than competition will benefit the economy at large.
“Tanzania has over 20mn addressable broadband users, 200,000 registered businesses, and nearly 30,000 educational institutions that all need to be connected.
“This is a true test of technology, will and human capital - Telesis believes it has the building blocks for all three.”
Daniel Jaeger, vice-president of Alcatel-Lucent in Africa said, “Alcatel-Lucent is committed to developing projects that make Internet and communications technologies a reality for people in areas that are currently underserved, providing new opportunities and driving economic growth.
“We are proud to be working on this project to deliver our leading 4G LTE solution and help the company provide superior service with even faster speeds.”
