Bharti Airtel of India the mobile company which recently acquired Zain Africa assets has said it will invest US$150 million in Zambia towards the enhancing of the 2G and 3G network coverage in the country.
Speaking during a media briefing in Lusaka this afternoon,Bharti Airtel International Chief Executive Officer Manoj Kohli said the investment will be carried out over a two to three years period.
He said Bharti intends to take 3G services deeper by enhancing the coverage and quality and the wireless broadband available to more towns and cities in the country.
[pullquote]Mr Kohli added that Bharti Airtel will also bring affordability to the Zambian customers by making services more affordable in form lower tariffs.[/pullquote]
He said this will entail that more and more Zambia will be able to utilize wireless broadband on their mobile phones using the Bharti Airtel 3G services. Mr Kohli said this will happen in the next three to six months.
Mr Kohli said the Zambia market provides a lot of encouragement to Bharti Airtel and commended Zain Zambia for the work done to take on market leadership.
He said Bharti Airtel will take a bigger leadership in network coverage across Zambia including in rural areas of the country.
He said it is clear from the meetings he held with Zambian officials in the ministry of communication and the regulators that the agenda of Bharti Airtel and the Zambian Government is completely alike because both are looking forward to building a prosperous Zambia.
Mr Kohli added that Bharti Airtel will also bring affordability to the Zambian customers by making services more affordable in form lower tariffs.
Obviously this shows that Zambia provides a conducive environment for companies to invest. Hope they will continue to invest in the Zambian market for the benefit of local consumers.
Will all the tariff reduction going in Zambia apply to Internet providers as well? Paying $700 a month for a(slow) download allowance of 4gb is beyond ridiculous! If someone knows of any new tariffs in those areas please share.
#2 I agree. Anybody with data on cheap Internet access in Zambia, please share. Our relatives are dying from this digital divide imwe bantu. Zambian ISP are useless and expensive for nothing and I hope competition from phone companies teach them a lesson and put them in their place where they belong-liquidation and then the dustbin
Fruits of competition and a liberalized economy. Competition brings about innovation and lowers prices. MTN has reduced its international call tariffs in a bid to gain market share, ZAIN/Bharti Airtel are enhancing 3G coverage. Competitive industries are such a good thing to consumers.
:)>- I have confidence in Indians and their country currently leads or have the largest cell phone share in the world. Good news for all Zedians.
@ 2 Sharp and @ Freedom. I am also eagerly waiting to reap the benefits of cheaper internet in Zambia. Currently I am subjected to everyday lessons in patience.
cheap internet access will only come to zambia once the country gets connected to the international getaway when the fiber optic network currently being laid down in zambia is completed.Until then,forget about cheap internet in zambia.:((
I will reverse everything when i become president. I will nationalize MTN, ZAIN and all tu ntemba.Anything that happens as long as RB is president is corruption. Please vote me in and you will have more money in your pockets. There will be real change in Zambia …in 90 days after i am elected. Everyone will have a decent job. All shanties will be a thing of the past .ever one will have an electrified house. All kaponyas will have cars . . . . .I will have a working cabinet: GBM for VP, Willie Nsanda for Minister of Finance . . .what more do you need you foools!
Come 2011 there will be free internet in all villages . . .I will ensure that all villagers from Kabompo to Chama to Katele’s village ….A computer for everybody in zambia .Vote PF please you bustards!
GUYS WE SHUD NOT BE HAPPY ABOUT 3G. IN EUROPE PEOPLE ARE TALKING 4G. WHEY EVEN MOCK US BY ALLOWING AN INDIAN TALK ABOUT INPROVING 2 G. LETS GET 4 G STRAIGHT. I MEAM A MODERM ONLY COSTS 15$!!!!!!!!!!!!
Will the entry of Bharti Airtel bring down tariffs? I doubt very much and for the following reasons:
1. Contrary to the views of many bloggers here, the coming of Bahrti does not change the filed competitively. They will remain the 3rd mobile provider and by and large will inherit Zain’s customer base. what Zambia needed was a 4th mobile services provider, but because of (2) below, this wont happen for the next 5 years.
2. Govt has issued an SI limiting the number of mobile service providers to 3 for the nest 5 years. I understand this is to enable them ‘recoup’ their investments. Now this is strange. Should this be the work of government? Govt’s role should be limited to development of the sector through good investment laws.
4G technologies are still under development, it seems LTE has finally beaten WiMAX has the mainstream 4G technology.
As much as I’m a proponent of the greatest and the latest,I don’t think Zambia is ready for 4G. The end devices,particularly handsets are still being developed and tests are being carried out on voice calls,things like handovers in cells ,mobility and the like. It’s almost there,but I think our market shud wait,handsets wont be cheap and well,only 10% of the mobile users need the BW of 4G.
As for ISPs, it’s something that has bothered me for years,there is not proper IXP in this country,and we are charged international rates for local traffic,Zain inclusive,they shud be ashamed!!!
blah blah blah blah!! that is what those who came before you said. Seeing is believing wamvela?
Zam-Cell to Celtel to Zain to Bharti Airtel??? Why is this company selling like this? I think i will just stick to MTN
I hope this is true. however the indians have done very well in the recent past in technology and the have appropriate bussiness models for third world countries. though in Zambia the challenge could be the small population.
@ 10 Buka Labwandi , we have to look at the fact that this is a development and not just hope to jump some stages and go to better technologies. Even in Europe not all countries are at the same stage. There is a lot of work required to get to the stage where fourtth generation technologies can be applied
watch out zain….lapgreen is on..they are bringing everthing within 3 months-wimax,3g,gprs,dslam broadband,fttx,and all zambia will be covered…rates will be cut by three quarters….welll this is the
begining of ict revolution in zed…vivva lapgreen…
@14 chips don’t lie to us. Its not necessarily phones that use 3g or 4g. You can use a special small modem to connect to the Internet. Iam using 4g right now so why are you lying that 4g is under development? If you are at Unza using free wifi reading an old article on wikepedia just keep quiet. Its coz of you guys that we don’t develop. the same fones that we have in Zed are the same fones around the world. Its the same blackberry, Ifone nokia in zambia or canada. They might just have different bands. If Iam using a fast connection like 4g here why shouldnt I use it pa zed? Iam sure you don’t even know which modems am talking about.
sorry I meant @12
well zain has been promising 3G since last year september but up now its still 2G,atleast on mtn u can get 3.5G on a compatiable device or 3G for data calls on a standard device which is on trial with no video,on zain or airtel there is nothing happening.
ba zain ba fikala ba stanioko ba ka bolala mumusula ba motha****er mwema ule mwe ba temwa indalama.all you do is steal from us bitches.wait untill optic fibre is installed in zambia,the internet will still be extra expensive.**** rupia banda itole,**** zian the money milkers as well as thiefs.
**** all ya anyway,i knw u enjoyin dat 3G so shut up! niggas are out here tryna give yall some deecent connection and this is the mutha ****ing thanks we get! Shiiiiiiiiiiit!