MTN to invest heavily in network
Mobile communications group MTN SA said it is to invest a further six billion rand into its network in 2009 to improve the capacity, quality and coverage, and 8 billion rand in total, excluding acquisitions.
Speaking at an MTN SA media briefing, chief technology officer Sameer Dave said the bulk of that money would go towards radio (26%), core radio (13%), transmission (24%) and core (11%), while infrastructure would get 9% of the budget.
“During 2009, at least 280 new 2G sites and 450 new 3G sites will be rolled out, at a cost of between 1.4-1.6 billion rand,” Dave said.
Last year saw 483 new 2G sites and 419 new 3G sites rolled out, at a cost of 2 billion rand, bringing the total to more than 7.700 nationwide.
Dave said that in Gauteng, 195km of fibre, representing six switching centres, would be connected, with 145km trenched to date and a planned light up in September.
“The aim would be for a reduced dependency on Telkom, along with improved speed to market for capacity between switches and high capacity BTS sites,” he said.
Looking further afield, MTN SA MD Tim Lowry told I-Net Bridge that 2009 would see a consolidation of the market for MTN SA.
“We will continue to look for opportunities in Africa. Zimbabwe is one country we have seen an opportunity and we are confident that we will play a monster role in the economic recovery of that country.
“There are also other licenses available in Africa, which we will look to explore,” he said.
Last month, MTN declared an interest in taking control of the existing mobile operator in Zimbabwe, Telecel.
Lowry also told the briefing that the group would not entertain the idea of mobile TV as a provider, competing with M-Net for content.
“We are happy to be a service provider for that content. We feel that’s the right position for us to take,” he said.
MTN network investment – give your views
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