Telecom service provider Etisalat is planning to invest $300 million for expanding and upgrading its network in Nigeria this year.
Etisalat, the fourth largest mobile operator in Nigeria, posted 15 percent growth in user base 19.5 million subscribers from 15.3 million last year.
Etisalat Chief Executive Officer Matthew Willsher said the focus of the company’s network expansion will be to offer better quality services to its growing subscribers.
Incidentally, Etisalat is yet to make profit though it started operations six years ago.
Etisalat will also be rolling out its mobile broadband network to provide quality data experience to its subscribers.
The company claims that it offers 99 percent uptime in service delivery.
The telecom operator has sold over 2000 of its passive towers to an infrastructure sharing company HIS. Etisalat currently has 7,000 base stations and 4,000 sites across the country.
“By the end of this year, we should have up to 5,000 sites. We have sold our passive sites to IHS,” said Temi Ogunbambi, Director – Engineering, Etisalat.
Etisalat upgraded 2, 100 exiting base stations with 2G and 3G capabilities to cater to the data need of its customers.
In a number of states, Etisalat has built extensive metro fiber network, in addition to the national and international fiber links.
editor@telecomlead.com
