MTN Rwanda has firmly established itself as a leader in connecting Rwanda, playing a crucial role in driving economic growth and enhancing community wellbeing.

To support this mission, MTN Rwanda has completed a major expansion and modernisation of its network in Kigali, aimed at extending coverage, enhancing user experience, and preparing for 5G integration.

Behind this modernisation effort is a team of leaders driving the initiative.

Leading the charge are Francis Ndamutsa, who oversees Capital Projects Governance, and Yvonne Nshuti, MTN’s Network Performance Supervisor.

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They are joined by Raoul Niyongabo, the Radio Planning and Optimisation Manager, and Melissa Karemera, the Project Manager who also played key roles in advancing the project.

Raoul Niyongabo

For Niyongabo, connectivity is an important part of everyday life, whether for business or keeping families connected as more Rwandans come online.

"Staying connected has become essential for everything. In line with this, MTN Rwanda has committed to making sure that connectivity is fast, reliable, and future-ready,” he said.

Niyongabo explained the need for this modernisation as MTN Rwanda’s 2G and 3G technologies began to show limitations.

"We started seeing some limitations in terms of how much data we could support and the speed we could offer.

"Upgrading to 4G, was a huge milestone for us as we worked to keep Rwanda connected. Okay, let me share,” he added.

One of Niyongabo’s primary roles was to assess the existing network and identify its weaknesses.

"We started by closely examining what was missing in the existing network and collaborated with leading partners, including experts from Ericsson and Huawei, to address these needs. We mapped out ways to expand our capacity and improve network coverage,” he explained.

His team led the network and capacity design efforts, focusing on building a robust 4G network. "With a spectrum allocated by RURA, we set clear goals for coverage and capacity to ensure our customers experience a faster, more reliable connection.”

To implement the modernisation smoothly, Niyongabo’s team established standards to prevent service disruptions during the rollout.

"We followed best practices to avoid disrupting services, keeping everything seamless for customers as we worked on the network. We established key benchmarks to ensure quality throughout the project,” added.

"Lastly, as our key involvement was also about optimising for the best customer experience, after implementation, we led the optimisation process to see how the upgrades performed in real-time,” he said.

Niyongabo said this project goes beyond new technologies; it’s about providing a stronger, more resilient network for Rwandans.

Reflecting on the journey, Niyongabo noted the improvements, from adding 4G technology to preparing for 5G.

"There is a big improvement. MTN customers are happier with the network experience, and we aim to maintain this positive relationship. When the time is right, we’ll share the good news about 5G.”

Melissa Karemera

As a female engineer, Karemera was motivated by the modernisation project’s potential to drive Rwanda’s development.

"One of my biggest motivations is knowing that this work can drive Rwanda forward in a powerful way.

"Being part of MTN Rwanda’s modernisation journey has allowed me to play a role in shaping the future of connectivity in our country, starting right here in Rwanda and looking forward to doing so for the whole country.”

She said that upgrading the network is important, not only for improved quality and internet speed but for the transformative potential this technology brings to Rwanda nationwide.

"People will be enjoying a faster network with faster internet. They will experience almost no drop calls anymore and the coverage will be improved in a significant way.

"Creating opportunity through faster data will be with this modernisation. We have introduced 4G and 5G that will allow and facilitate people for streaming, better video quality, and enjoying the service more,” she added.

During the pandemic, the need for reliable internet became clear, and now, with modernisation, internet access will be more affordable and stable, making working from home and remote learning much easier.

"This modernisation will support Rwanda’s digital economy by reducing network latency for real-time applications and opening doors to new digital services for Rwandans,” she added.

As a woman in a male-dominated field, Karemera views her role as empowering and rewarding.

"It’s rare to see women working in technology, but it’s very enjoyable to work with men because you challenge them, you work with them every day and you feel proud or empowered to drive such a big project. As to contributing to Rwanda’s development, it's easy, it's feasible, you do it easily,” she said.