New 4G Square to boost uptake

A new one-stop centre dubbed the “4G Square” was unveiled at the ground floor of the Grand Pension Plaza in Kigali on Wednesday in a bid to boost uptake of the fourth generation Long Term Evolution (4G LTE) internet service in the country. The facility will provide 4G customer support, experience, promotions as well as subscription, according to the Olleh Rwanda Networks (oRn) chief executive officer, Patrick Yoon. oRn are the wholesalers of the 4G LTE services in the country. It will be composed of 4G LTE retailers, 4G enabled smartphone retailers, a coffee shop, meeting room, VIP lounge, customer support desk, solutions showcase and a play interactive system for children. Some of the firms that have space in the 4G Square include internet services provider, Airtel Rwanda, device manufacturer Samsung and RZ Manna coffee shop and bakery. “We wanted to create a state-of-the-art facility where anyone can explore 4G LTE benefits beyond what people are used to. More users will be able to experience 4G LTE and connect with business partners, friends or family in a friendly, fun, relaxing environment,” said Yoon. Since the rollout of 4G last year, its uptake has been low among subscribers with many saying the service is expensive. To that effect, Yoon said oRn was rolling out a number of value added services in a bid to scale up 4G uptake. While presiding over the event, Francis Gatare, the chief executive officer of the Rwanda Development Board said 4G being expensive is a myth which Rwandans shouldn’t believe not to take up the service. “It’s absolutely affordable so let’s tell Rwandans to embrace this technology and make use of it by creating business opportunities from it because it is affordable, fast and convenient,” he said. 4G internet prices were slashed by almost 70 per cent earlier this year, from Rwf 4,100 for a gigabyte to Rwf 1,300 by oRn, thereby allowing internet service providers come up with favourable price ranges for their customers. While figures of the current uptake aren’t available, Yoon and the government are optimistic of better uptake with time. oRn will look at opening similar one-stop centres in other districts in the country like Rubavu where they are rolling out the technology in the coming months.

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New 4G Square to boost uptake