Angola focuses on 4G to boost economic development
By Loh Ving Sung
02 May 2012 - Spurred on by a booming oil economy, Angola is beginning to tear away from the plight of its civil war 10 years ago. The country has seen rapid growth in its economy which led to a boom in infrastructure development.
A look at Luanda
Image credit: Erik Cleves Kristensen (wikipedia.org)
Its capital Luanda is now adorned with high-tech skyscrapers, but it is not just buildings that are getting a makeover.
Angola’s telecommunication systems are also in the process of getting 4G services.
The county’s biggest GSM operator Movicel is spending USD $100 million so that the country is equipped with the best technology to boost economic development, its chief operations officer Antonio Francisco told the BBC.
Francisco added, "The telecoms sector is a strategic sector". He is convinced that, Angola can't think about the economy unless it has a well done telecoms infrastructure.
The operator is working with China’s ZTE, who will be providing equipment and handsets, as well as upgrading Movicel’s entire system for USD $1 billion. The 4G rollout will cover its capital Luanda and other densely-populated towns along with the oil-producing region of Cabinda.
In addition to that, Angolans will see 4G in 30 more cities. The operator will be placing orders for 4G tablets too.
But will 4G be a success for Angolans, who still sees 40.5% of their populace live below the poverty line.
Movicel’s CEO Yon Junior believes so, and insists that his firm wants to empower locals. Junior says 4G will help spur on Angola’s growth, but admits it has to be affordable according to the country's needs and capacity to pay.
" Didorong oleh ekonomi minyak yang berkembang pesat, Angola telah menyaksikan pertumbuhan pesat dalam ekonomi yang membawa kepada ledakan dalam pembangunan infrastruktur. Sistem telekomunikasi Angola kini dalam proses untuk mendapatkan perkhimatan 4G. ketua pegawai operasi Movicel, Antonio Francisco memberitahu BBC bahawa Movicel yang merupakan pengendali Perkhimatan GSM terbesar Angola membelanjakan USD $ 100 juta agar negara dilengkapi dengan teknologi yang terbaik untuk meningkatkan kadar pertumbuhan ekonomi, ketua pegawai operasi Movicel, Antonio Francisco memberitahu BBC "
