Airtel Nigeria, the West African arm of telecom Airtel Africa, has announced that it is upgrading all of its cell sites to 4G technology.
The operator says that now its 50-million customers in Nigeria can “tap into flawless voice call experiences,” as all of the company’s 2G and 3G sites have been upgraded to the advanced network standard of 4G.
Surendran Chemmenkotil, CEO and MD of Airtel Nigeria, says the operator is committed to delivering mobile broadband to the whole country, including even remote locations, as he says that connectivity has a direct correlation with “boosting the nation’s GDP.”
“Our commitment is to our customers and we are focused on ensuring that they continue to get the right and the best experience on our network. This exercise is inspired by the fact that we want to serve our customers better and we also want to contribute significantly to deepening broadband expansion in Nigeria as this has a direct correlation to GDP and economic productivity of a country,” Chemmenkotil said, quoted by Developing Telecoms.
“Therefore, we will continue to support the Federal Government agenda of increasing and expanding the penetration of broadband in the country,” Chemmenkotil concluded.
Airtel Kenya Agrees to $30-Million Settlement
Across Africa, Airtel’s Kenyan arm recently agreed to pay a $30-million settlement to the Kenyan government in order to move forward in the operator’s licensing renewal process in the country. The payment will see the telecom settle its dues to the Communications Authority of Kenya for its previous spectrum and operating licenses.
This agreement will see Airtel Kenya pay a total of $20-million in four instalments over the next three years in respect of settlements regarding the 2015 – 2025 operating and spectrum license.
Airtel Kenya also agreed to pay a further $10-million to the Communications Authority for a new 10-year license in the country from 2022 onwards until the telecom will have to renew again in 2032.
By Luis Monzon
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