Maravi

MTN, Zain Plc wary over sharing infrastructure in expansion schemes

MTN, Zain Plc wary over sharing infrastructure in expansion schemes
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Tuesday August 12, 2008 [04:00]

MAJOR mobile phone companies in the country, MTN Zambia and Zain Zambia Plc have said sharing infrastructure in the rural expansion programmes will make it difficult for them to maintain quality assurance. And Communications Authority of Zambia (CAZ) director for economics and research Susan Mulikiti said the Authority is not mandated to compel mobile phone companies to share infrastructure in their rural expansion programmes.

Commenting on suggestions that mobile phone companies share infrastructure when rolling out their services to rural areas as doing so on a solo basis was taxing on the companies and to some extent unprofitable, MTN Zambia customer services manager Chimfwembe Mzyece said the mobile phone company stood ready to accomplish its countrywide expansion programme on its own.

"At the moment, we don't see any hindrance in infrastructure in pursuing our expansion to rural areas," Mzyece said in Lusaka last week during the CAZ organised public discussion on the Quality of Service in the ICT. "As we expand our network, we are mindful about quality assurance to our customers, and if we are to share the infrastructure it would be difficult for us to control that."

Zain Zambia Plc public relations manager, Bridget Nundwe who did not give an explicit answer on the matter, however said the country's leading mobile phone provider shared the view of MTN Zambia on the sharing of infrastructure in rural expansion programmes.

Nundwe also consented that it was quite taxing for Zain Zambia Plc to take mobile services to rural areas and that the situation had been exacerbated by the current power shortage in the country.

However, she said Zain Group was currently implementing the "One network" programme aimed at providing a borderless mobile phone services to all its subscribers who might be in different countries.

Earlier, Mulikiti said the mobile phone sector was liberalised and that CAZ could not compel companies to share infrastructure.

"Unless maybe we were in an environment where mobile phone companies were restricted to certain parts of the country...but currently all areas are fully liberalised," said Mulikiti.

Labels: CAZ, ITC, QUALITY ASSURANCE

posted by MrK @ 4:20 AM