Mascom partners with MTN

Mascom has entered into an agreement of preferential regional roaming rates with a South African services network provider, MTN, for both data and normal voice services.
The agreement, which went into effect in March this year, will according to Mascom’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Jose Couceiro, give the company’s customers, the benefit of attractive roaming rates for both data and normal services.
Mr Couceiro assured Mascom’s customers, on Saturday in Francistown during their 10th anniversary celebrations, that his company intended to continue with the advancement of mobile communication technology in Botswana.
Mr Couceiro said over the past 10 years of its existence, Mascom maintained a tradition of excellence marked by numerous milestones in the history of telecommunication in the country. He said his company was the first, and the only Botswana mobile network operator to have introduced the third generation telecommunications known as UMTS/HSDPA or 3G.
“With the introduction of this technology, Mascom joins a small group of less than 10 mobile operators in the sub-Saharan Africa, to have launched a 3G network.” Mr Couceiro said while 3G Mobile Broadband was available in Gaborone and its periphery only, Mascom would roll it out to other urban centres in Botswana where feasible.
Clents outside greater Gaborone, need not worry because as a result of a robust strategy of innovative development and infrastructure investment, the GPRS-EDGE data network coverage was countrywide. Therefore, Mascom clients would be able to access Internet on GPRS/EDGE where 3G Mobile Broadband is not available.” Mr Couceiro said the mobile industry bore the hallmarks of a modest beginning.
He said the business case, put forth at the beginning, has forecast that the customer base, after 10 years, would be more that 100 000 for the whole sector but to date the total mobile customer in Botswana stands at 1.6 million.
“I am proud today to say we, Botswana, were a case study and still are as far as the mobile industry is concerned and Mascom is with no doubt, the biggest responsible for that.” This year Mascom commemorated its anniversary not only in Gaborone but also in Ghanzi, Maun and Francistown. BOPA