Libyan Rebels Launch Mobile Network

According to the UK's Daily Telegraph, rebels in Eastern Libya have set up their own independent mobile phone network, less than a month after they were cut off from the country's centralised infrastructure, which required all calls to be routed through the international gateway in Tripoli. 

The new network, called 'Free Libyana', is the brainchild of UAE-based telecoms executive Ousama Abushagur, a Libyan national who was raised in Alabama. He admitted that the the move was necessitated after humanitarian convoys that he had organised suffered logistical problems because the Gaddafi government was broadcasting jamming signals to cripple the satellite telephones used by the rebels.

Free Libyana was supplied with the necessary telecoms equipment by UAE telecoms giant Etisalat, which stepped in when Chinese telecoms manufacturer Huawei rejected Abushagur's approach; an unnamed Libyan businessman based in the UAE bankrolled the project.

 The network was rolled out by a team of international telecoms engineers – three Libyans and four Westerners – who flew to Egypt before crossing the border into Libya and commencing work in the rebel-held capital Benghazi. 

The rebels were reportedly aided by Benghazi-based employees of Libyana, the country's largest mobile phone operator by subscribers. According to Abushagur the new network launched on 2 April, and currently has 750,000 active SIM cards in operation. Although the network is widely available in the east of the country, international calling is limited to selected senior rebel figures.

Nigeria Targets 350 Nigerian Villages with Huawei Deal

MTN Nigeria has signed a deal worth over USD40 million with Chinese equipment supplier Huawei Technologies for the deployment of rural telephony infrastructure in roughly 350 villages across the country, local news source Nigerian Compass reports.

‘Our goal is to cover every village in Nigeria,’ Ahmad Faroukh, CEO of MTN Nigeria, said at the signing of the deal in Lagos, adding: ‘The first phase [of the project] will see 350 villages covered before the end of May 2011, with the support of our strategic partner, Huawei Technologies, while 500 villages will be covered in the second phase before the end of December 2011.’ Following research into Nigeria’s telecoms sector, MTN concluded that around 500 villages and communities and 40 million Nigerians do not have access to basic telephony services.

Under the project, Huawei will deploy environment friendly base stations that consume low energy.

Safaricom Choses Huawei For 4G Technology

Safaricom, Kenya’s largest cellco by subscribers, has announced that it will begin technical trials of 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology across its network within the next two months.

Safaricom has selected Chinese firm Huawei Technologies to supply its core network requirements, and to facilitate the rollout itself.

The two companies have signed a three-year strategic partnership worth KES12 billion (USD141.2 million). Speaking during the signing ceremony at Huawei’s headquarters in China, Safaricom's CEO Michael Joseph told the Kenyan Broadcasting Corporation: ‘We are going to do a technical LTE trial on our spectrum to see if it suits the Kenyan market and its commercial viability.

This is completely a technical trial and not a commercial trial and we are going to do the trials within our spectrum in the next two months’. Joseph also said that Safaricom is keen to overhaul its billing system and core network, whilst expanding its 3G network coverage across the country. These upgrades are expected to begin within the next six months and will be completed in two phases.

Zambia Plans To Transfer Fibre Lines From Zesco to Zamtel

AllAfrica.com reports that the Zambian government is planning to put a number of fibre pairs currently controlled by state-owned power company Zesco in to the hands of Zambia Telecommunications Company (Zamtel). It is understood that the move is part of the state’s plans to make the telco more attractive to potential buyers, as the privatisation process of the operator moves forward.

Under the proposals the government will transfer seven of twelve fibre pairs that Zesco has; of the remaining five, two are used by Zesco to manage its power network, one is used by South Africa-based MTN, which owns a mobile operator in Zambia, while the last two are not currently in use.

Local ISPs have voiced their concerns about the proposals however, with one unnamed market operator stating: ‘All the ISPs don't want this to happen. We have a good relationship with Zesco and we put a lot of capacity through their link. If it happens, I'll have to lay fibre routes and that's not my business. We're looking at VoIP offerings because the current prices of international calling are still USD1.10-USD1.50 a minute.’

At present Chinese vendor Huawei is in the process of rolling out a fibre backbone for Zamtel, but it remains incomplete and by comparison to Zesco’s existing infrastructure is significantly less expansive. Zesco’s fibre network spans the economically active central part of the country from Lumwana and Solwezi in the north to Sesheke in the south.

The Zambian government first announced plans to divest a portion of its stake in Zamtel in December 2008. In September 2009 it revealed it would sell 75% of the struggling operator, and one year after initially unveiling its intention to sell, the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA), which is handling the process, announced the shortlist of bidders: India's Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, Unitel of Angola and Libya's LAP Green Networks. Russia’s Altimo was subsequently added to the list, despite submitting its bid after deadline.

MTN Ghana Deploys UMTS equipment

UMTS900 equipment has been deployed by Huawei in the MTN Ghana network. For the first time in Africa, a successful deployment of UMTS is done for voice, video and data in the 900MHz frequency band.

The network is based on Huawei’s 3900-Series Node B. A bandwidth of just 4.2 MHz is supported by the system to provide UMTS service while working seamlessly with the existing GSM network.

It is intended by the MTN to use the technology as a means of extending its 3.5G network to more rural communities.

Wana Appoints Huawei to Supply 3G Network

Huawei, a leader in providing next-generation telecommunications network solutions worldwide, today announced that it has been appointed as the sole supplier of Morocco WANA’s GSM/UMTS network. Thanks to that, WANA’s 2 Million subscribers will enjoy abundant 3G services such as video call, video conference, streaming media and mobile internet.

Under a contract signed by Huawei and WANA, Huawei will provide a GSM/UMTS solution with equipment to WANA exclusively, including GSM/UMTS wireless network, core network and value added services (VAS) network, etc.

Huawei’s accurate frequency planning and various anti-disturbance measures are the key to avoiding disturbance problem in the complicated wireless environment and enhancing the usage of spectrum resources whilst protecting telecom provider’s investment. Phase one of the project will utilise over 1500 of Huawei’s industry-leading fourth-generation base stations with the All-IP solution set to be completed by December, 2009.

Mr. Frédéric Debord, General Director of WANA, commented "WANA has the target to become a leading operator in Morocco. And we are delighted to cooperate with Huawei to open a new network of good quality and performance for our subscribers, with best solutions and offers."

Mr. Zuo Defeng, Vice President of West Africa Region, Huawei, said:” This is a significant milestone to Huawei, WANA and WANA’s users. Huawei’s advanced mobile network solution and equipment will help WANA take the lead in mobile telecommunications market in Morocco, and help WANA achieve business success.”

As a core component of its SingleRAN solution, the fourth-generation BTS supports multi-mode radio access networking (GSM, TD-SCDMA, UMTS, LTE, CDMA and WiMAX), and incorporates green optimisation and All-IP technologies, providing a truly convergent solution for network operators. Huawei has shipped over 1.5 million transceivers (TRXs) for its fourth-generation base stations. Huawei’s fourth-generation BTS are being used by more than 20 leading operators in 100 countries.