Chamwe Kaira
Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) says it will continue focusing on customer value and innovation as competition in the mobile market grows.
“The Namibian market, particularly the space of data service consumption, is continuing to grow and becoming more attractive,” said Erasmus Nekundi, corporate communications practitioner at MTC.
“As an institution that has now existed for 30 years, built from the ashes by the Namibian people, sustained by the Namibian people, working for the Namibian people, and proudly connecting Namibia will continue to be at the forefront of technology and innovation as the market evolves.”
His comments follow confirmation that Paratus Group will launch a mobile data network in Namibia on 2 September.
Paratus executive chairman Barney Harmse said the company’s entry could shift the competitive dynamics of the mobile sector.
Paratus will offer data-only mobile services, using low-band and high-band spectrum to provide broad coverage and fast internet speeds. The company already has a strong presence in the fibre-to-the-home market and has held the required licences from the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) for years.
“We will be the first private operator venturing into this space,” Harmse said. He added that Paratus will not rely on price competition. “They won’t hold back their punches,” he said of MTC’s likely response. “But we are not going to get into a price fight. We will be competitive where it matters. At the end of the day, what distinguishes you from the rest is service.”
When contacted by Observer Money, Harmse said he would comment in detail after the commercial launch.
“We can chat at the end of September more or less.”
Paratus’s move marks the first private entry into Namibia’s mobile telecommunications market, which has been dominated by state-owned MTC.
— Additional reporting by TechCentral
