Namibia is now proving itself in the world of technology with its competitiveness in adapting to the fast-approaching innovations in communications. Although it has been among the last countries in Africa to join the competition in the sector of mobile communications, Namibia has again proven itself of its adaptability through the deployment of MTC and Telecom Namibia broadband services in their communication system.
With the telecommunication system in Namibia being developed, the introduction of broadband services is very much welcome and now undergoing developments as well.
There are different telecommunication companies in Namibia which are competing to give the people the fast and convenient communication system they need. And two of the largest companies are MTC and Telecom Namibia which both offers broadband services to give more improvement to the people’s communication system.
Telecom Namibia Limited Overview
Telecom Namibia Limited is a telecommunication company in Namibia which is operated by the government of Namibia itself since 1992. This is actually a branch of a much bigger government company, the Namibia Post and Telecom Holdings Limited. Telecom offers commercial communication services which functions as a support to the original company.
MTC Overview
MTC is another large company that offers telecommunication services especially for mobiles in Namibia. Although the majority of the company is owned by the government of Namibia, its 34% portion is also owned by another company, Portugal Telecom. And since its establishment in 1994, MTC has known to be holding the monopoly of providing telecommunication services for mobiles and the 3G access in the internet.
MTC and Telecom Namibia: A Tough Battle
Telecom Namibia and MTC have been providing the people with the best of broadband services. Telecom Namibia is gaining success through its offers of broadband services through networks of MPLS, undersea and terrestrial fibre networks, utilizing the optimal advantage of WiMax and ADSL. Telecom has also taken the opportunity to fully use the potentials of WACS and Speedlink to give people an unlimited use of the internet with low rates. The company is also offering 3G features for mobile broadband services with special use of the EV-DO technology. An agreement with ZTE has also ensured Telecom to create a network whose goal is to provide a preset and integrated mobile services which include LTE as well.
At the same time, MTC planned to install a 3G network featuring an HPSDA to support GSM connections together with GPRS and EDGE. The agreement between MTC and NMS Communications ensures also a new feature offered by the company, the AccessGate RAN. This is actually a solution for backhaul optimisation for the company to be able to support the growing population of subscribers. This will be deployed through the satellite based broadband access. AccessGate will be a great optimisation technique for GSM transportation and controlling the traffic on UMTS voice and its data. MTC has also launched its LTE network.
The Verdict
However, as it is seen today, Telecom Namibia holds the edge over MTC for it is a better choice for more efficient broadband services. Their commercial LTE data services and 4G features are available at mostly in Windhoek but still able to reach some areas on the country’s northern border and on the coasts. Also, Telecom could actually cut its tariffs up to 30% which other telecommunication companies cannot offer which ensures the start of 4G tariffs decline.