In a move geared towards expanding Celtel’s transmission capacity in the country, Celtel Nigeria has signed a turnkey contract worth $130 million with Nokia Siemens network.
According to the terms of the contract, Nokia Siemens Networks will execute the planned project for Celtel by building 4000km of Nationwide Fibre Optic backbone infrastructure and supplying best-in-class microwave transmission equipment to bring mobile network operator Celtel best-in-class IP technology.
The contract may be a huge boost for the telecommunications industry with next generation services now poised to become a reality and available to Nigerians.
Celtel Nigeria’s CEO, Mr. Bayo Ligali, at the contract signing ceremony yesterday in Lagos described the agreement as a major milestone in Celtel’s quest to build a robust infrastructure that will provide world class experience for its growing subscriber base. He said the project when completed would put Celtel well on its way to achieving the level of robustness and resilience that can guarantee the integrity of the Celtel network and provide a veritable platform for the provision of world-class services to its customers.
Country Director, Nigeria, Nokia Siemens Networks, Helmut Hochstetter, said the deal was the result of the long term investment in Nigeria’s telecommunications market, which according to him, has seen the company maintain a consistent presence and commitment to the country as one of its priority markets in the last 50 years.
Hochstetter further added that the “deal is proof that, from the first year of its inception, Nokia Siemens Networks has seen the value in committing to building Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure.”
He added that the network has customer insight, innovation, global reach and quality project execution as well as the efficient costing mindset to present appropriate solutions suited to operators and their customers’ needs.
Ligali had earlier disclosed that the deal “represents the fulfillment of a promise by our parent company, the Zain Group (formerly MTC Group), to invest massively in the Nigerian economy as a partner in the Federal Government’s effort to aggressively develop the economy and position it for the realisation of the 2020 Vision.”
He described the contract, as a major accomplishment both in terms of expanding Celtel’s network capacity and also the attraction of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the country.
He also expressed Celtel Nigeria’s delight to have Nokia/Siemens Networks as strategic partners in the project given their track record of excellent performance and world-class products and services as well maintenance records.
Nokia Siemens Networks commenced operations in more than150 countries with some 600 customers in April this year.
It prides itself in delivering a complete, well-balanced product portfolio of mobile and fixed network infrastructure solutions that are addressing the growing demand for these services in Africa.
As one of the top 40 companies investing in research and development in the world, Nokia Siemens Networks is ensuring appropriate and affordable technology infrastructure in the 44 countries in Africa and the Middle East that it operates in.
By Efem Nkanga
This Day
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
