Telecom Namibia has signed an N$100 million (US$5.2 million) agreement with Huawei to deliver a fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) core network as part of its ongoing digital transformation and network modernisation project.
At a signing ceremony on Friday, Telecom Namibia said that it sees FMC as a crucial strategy to improve the customer experience by integrating its fixed and mobile offerings, enabling seamless connectivity and services regardless of customer location.
Telecom Namibia said FMC will also benefit the operations side of the equation by replacing multiple exchanges with a unified system. The operator said this will streamline operations and boost efficiency, while the network’s agility and flexibility will enable faster and more innovative service delivery. It will also help Telecom Namibia develop a more reliable and energy-efficient infrastructure to reduce energy consumption.
The operator’s decision to implement an FMC core network is part of is a strategic initiative under its five-year Integrated Strategic Business Plan (ISBP), which was unveiled in June 2023. That followed Telecom Namibia’s announcement in July 2022 that it would invest N$2.3 billion over the next five years to upgrade its fixed and mobile network infrastructure and reduce costs.
The Huawei deal is the second digital transformation and network modernisation agreement Telecom Namibia has signed under the ISBP this year. The first was a N$327 million OSS/BSS billing system agreement with Spanish company SATEC in June.
“Telecom Namibia is confident that the successful implementation of the fixed-mobile convergence network will accelerate our digital transformation efforts, enabling Telecom to provide cutting-edge telecommunications solutions that meet the evolving needs of businesses and consumers in Namibia,” said Telecom Namibia CEO Dr. Stanley Shanapinda.
Huawei MD Michael Zhang added that the FMC core system would improve Telecom Namibia’s network stability and add significant value to its current offerings. “Telecom Namibia will now be able to compete effectively in the highly competitive telecommunications space alongside other industry players.”
Source : Developing Telecoms
