Vodacom Tanzania, supported by the GSMA Development Fund and Qualcomm has connected Internet cafes in three of Tanzania’s cities to its HSPA mobile broadband network. Run by local entrepreneurs, each Internet cafe is equipped with several computer terminals connected to Vodacom’s HSPA network, which can provide download speeds of up to 7.2 megabits per second
The initial three Internet cafes, in Dar es Salaam, Dodoma and Arusha, will be followed by more cafes in other parts of Tanzania. Housed in converted shipping containers, the cafes also will sell other Vodacom products and services, such as airtime vouchers, payphone calls and handset recharging, as well as acting as an agent for the M-pesa mobile money transfer service.
“We are very proud to add to our bid as a total communication solutions provider to the people of Tanzania, our new alliance with the GSMA and Qualcomm will bring high-speed Internet cafes to this country,” said Mr. Dietlof Mare, managing director of Vodacom Tanzania. “These Internet cafes will ensure fast, affordable and reliable access to information for students, the business community and all Tanzanians who need to communicate and stay in touch with what is happening in the country, in Africa and the rest of the world.”
Vodacom Tanzania has drawn on the expertise and resources of the GSMA Development Fund and Qualcomm’s Wireless Reach Initiative, to develop the business model and technology underpinning the Internet cafes. Having supported the deployment of several hundred Internet cafes connected to mobile networks in Bangladesh, the GSMA Development Fund has extensive experience in this field. Qualcomm, as a leading developer and innovator of advanced wireless technologies and data solutions, including HSPA, is contributing by bringing its expertise to the project and enabling 3G software and hardware, network service, technology training and project management.
“Mobile broadband has the potential to bring affordable Internet access to hundreds of millions of people globally who live beyond the reach of fixed-line networks,” said Dawn Haig-Thomas, director of the GSMA Development Fund. “The innovative shared access approach being deployed by Vodacom Tanzania demonstrates how operators can make the rich and important services offered by mobile broadband accessible to many more people.”
