MTN in high-speed internet rollout

Rwandans will enjoy faster, efficient and cheaper internet services as MTN, a leading telecom company in the country has announced plans to expand high-speed internet services.At least 12 districts in the country will be covered by the end of this year.The target of the telecom company is to have high-speed internet service available to nearly most homes and businesses in rural areas.The move to hurry installing affordable high-speed internet access comes at the time the telecom company has embarked on optic fibre rollout. With fibre, telecom operators say it makes mobile phone communication and internet services cheaper.Amin Gafaranga, the MTN Business Development Manager said they are to use the Wimax powered by 3G technology. “The technology is ten-times faster, ” Gafaranga said.A survey on rates charged by MTN, Randatel and ISPA shows MTN is so far ‘the cheapest internet service provider in the country’.Whereas MTN charges Frw95,000 for 128 kbps for their broadband wireless internet connection—competitors—Rwandatel charges Frw100,000 while ISPA charges Frw150,000.The survey also shows wide disparity in installation fees, among the three internet service providers. MTN charges Frw100,000—Rwamdatel Frw210,000 while ISPA demands Frw280,000 before they connect a client to their internet services.To allow competition that may see prices fall further and better services in the telecom business, the Government recently allowed Lap Green, a Libyan company to become a second telecom operator in the country.Lap Green agreed to buy Rwandatel’s 80 percent shares at $100, after the defunct Terracom, an American telecom company was forced out of business for failing to fulfil contractual obligations. Among the commitments in the botched contract, Terracom was to extend phone and internet services to villages in Rwanda, but all this remained on paper.But State Minister for Communications and Energy Eng Abert Butare said third operator will be licensed next year.Ends