There has been a 7 percent, increase in connections for landline phones despite many people preferring to use mobile phones, a telecom practitioner has said.

The number of landline subscribers at Rwandatel, has increased to 23,000 within the last two previous years.
Rwandatel is the sole distributor of the landline services.

The increase is mainly attributed to the construction of new commercial buildings that have been constructed within Kigali City and beyond. Information from Rwandatel, the leading provider of landline telephony, over 20,000 lines are in use.

Cleophas Kabasiita the Corporate Communications Manager of Rwandatel said that the use of mobile phones has grown tremendously and that the landlines remain the preferred method of communication for corporate offices.

Some of the clientele that use landlines including all government institutions, banks, Non Government Organisations (NGOs), and embassies.

"As soon as a corporate office establishes itself and finds suitable premises, the next thing they do is request for connection for a landline,” she said.

Kabasiita also added that the move away from fixed access lines is a phenomenon that should be attributed to the flexibility, convenience and mobility offered by the mobile phones.

Other reasons attributed to the shift to mobile phones include the ease of acquiring a mobile phone as opposed to the lengthy process of getting a landline installed at one’s premises.

Kabasita said that Rwandatel would still offer the service to distribute landline phones even if the business may seem to be declining with the increase in mobile connections.

"Rwandatel is not considering dropping the licence for fixed phone lines. It is a product that still earns the company decent revenue and there is no reason to drop it.” Kabasita emphasized.

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