Zamtel ready to switch on 84 new transmission sites, targets blanket national coverage
State owned telecommunications company Zamtel says 84 of its 110 new transmission sites countrywide are ready to be commissioned in the first phase of its network expansion programme.
Zamtel is investing US$280 million in network expansion and upgrade which will see an additional 1,009 new transmission sites erected.
Some of the sites toured by the Journalists that are ready to go live include those in Madzimoyo in Chipata, Kafumbwe area in Katete and Chibundu Village near the Mozambican border in Sinda.
Company Corporate Communications Manager Kennedy Mambwe told Journalists on a tour of the new sites in Eastern Province that the 84 sites are all high capacity and 4.5 G enabled.Mr Mambwe explained that Eastern Province has been allocated 12 of the 84 sites as part of Zamtel’s drive to continue investing in network expansion.
He said investment in network infrastructure is crucial especially that Chipata has been given the status of a City.
Mr Mambwe said investment in network expansion will result in Zamtel achieving blanket coverage across the country.
He said there will be no area of the country that will be left uncovered once the network expansion is completed.
“What we are doing now at Zamtel is a game changer. This will transform the telecommunications experience for our customers. The kind of investment we are making in the network will see a change in network performance and improved data speeds by next year,” Mr Mambwe said.
He added, “Chipata is a new city and a getaway to Malawi and there is a lot of trade going on between Zambia and its neighbours on the eastern side. Areas such as Katete and Sinda are also huge producers of agricultural products such as groundnuts and Maize and improved communication means that the farmers will have access to markets and pricing information on their fingertips.”
Mr Mwape stated that the era of local people having to climb trees and mountains to access network is ending since most of the sites to be erected are located in remote parts of the country.
And Isaac Mbewe, the Head Teacher at Kafumbwe Day Boarding School, the only co-education public secondary school in Katete commended Zamtel for extending the network coverage to the area.
The new Zamtel transmission site is situated right next to the school and Mr Mbewe said the development will improve communication between the School Management and parents and guardians including stakeholders such as the District Education Board Secretary (DEBS).
Job well done Zamtel. Please keep it up!
And price they paid for each of these Chinese towers is irelevant i suspose…this way behind schedule and overpriced.
Improvement in the network is critical in a competive market. For past few days there has been on network on ZAMTEL on the copperbelt especially Chililabombwe and with no explanation to stake holders inform your clients what has been going on rather than keeping quiet as if everything was normal.
I would not be live this……next 4 years we will be hearing the same story…
BA ZAMTEL- NEXT DESIGN AND MAKE A ZAMBIAN PEOPLES’ PHONE AND START IMPROVING TO TO REACH THE STANDARDS OF ANY MODERN PHONE. IN RECENT YEARS HWAWEI STARTED WITH A PHONE NO ONE IN THE WEST WOULD EVEN BOTHER TO LOOK AT. TODAY, HWAWEI IS COMPETING WITH ANY MODERN PHONE IN THE WORLD. FROM THERE YOU CAN ALSO START DESIGNING AND MANUFACTURING ANY ELECTRONIC GADGETS SUCH AS PDAs, SCANNERS, ETC
With who’s money? You cant manufacture toothpick you want to waste our funds on handsets!!
Do NOT forgwt Dudumwezi.
We do not want any more election embarassments there.
Rest of South and North circuits are very well covered by AIRTEL and MTN.
Zamtel as para-grz to invest in Remote areas. Keep pushing.
DID YOU SORT OUT LAPGREEN A$$HOLES!
Long overdue.