Alcatel has signed a US$53 million GSM expansion contract with Angola's Unitel. The project will enable Unitel to increase the capacity and coverage of its GSM network across the country, thus giving people in previously underserved areas access to mobile communications. Under the expansion contract, Alcatel will deploy its Evolium multi-standard radio access solution over a large number of sites throughout Unitel's network. The project should be completed by the end of 2006.
"We believe that by expanding our GSM network, we are anticipating our customers' needs and contributing to the development of the country " commented Nicolau Netto, CEO of Unitel. "We have chosen Alcatel because of our successful long term partnership, the quick implementation schedule and the flexibility of the customized solution. Alcatel's evolutionary multi-standard GSM solution will enable us to cost-efficiently face massive growth in traffic and demand in Angola and to make mobile telephony reach parts of the country it has not reached before."
" It is a considerable achievement for Alcatel to become Unitel's strategic supplier in Angola," stated Olivier Picard, President of Alcatel's activities in France, Africa, Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. "The operator's increased GSM capacity will give a larger number of people in remote communities access to vital mobile communications services. This new project reaffirms our commitment to bridging the digital divide in emerging countries, while meeting Unitel's needs for a reliable and cost-effective radio transmission solution".
The Mobile World notes that Unitel ended last year with just under 1.2 million customers - giving them a market share of 75%. The country penetration rate stands at just over 13%."
Posted to the site on 19th May 2006
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/17447.php