#MWC2017: Getting the unconnected connected in Tanzania

Ericsson and Tigo have partnered to launch the first of a series of rural pilot tower sites to provide mobile broadband coverage in parts of the Lindi- Mtwara region, a rural province in Tanzania where a large population still lacked internet connection.

The new partnership seeks to connect over 13 million people living in rural parts of Tanzania and still remain unconnected. The offshoot of the deployment of the project will involve infrastructure-sharing partnership brokered by the GSMA with Tigo, the Government of Tanzania, and two other major mobile network operators.

“Access to mobile broadband will open these rural communities to previously elusive services such as mobile money, e-health, e-education and e-government, thereby transforming the way people play, learn and do business forever,” said Jerome Albou, Chief Technical and IT Officer, Tigo Tanzania, in a press statement.

Sharing infrastructure and engaging the government on reduced taxes in these regions allows operators to reduce the cost of deploying mobile broadband networks in places where it was previously not viable to do so.

Tigo and Ericsson have set the pace in the partnership by launching the first active site based on the new generation, multi-standard Ericsson Radio System. The suite of solutions will provide the capabilities needed to reduce total cost of ownership by up to 40 percent when rolling out Ericsson’s total site solution for mobile broadband. This makes investments viable in markets with low average revenue per user.

The energy-efficient suites of solutions will also enable Tigo and their roaming partners to seamlessly identify underserved communities in the region, making it faster to introduce or improve the mobile broadband experience of their subscribers in these rural communities. This is the first commercial launch of this solution in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Jean-Claude Geha, Head of Region Sub-Saharan Africa, Ericsson, says: “We are strong advocates of the role of ICT to enable the realization of a new, universal set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our partnerships and solutions seek to bring the benefits of mobile technology to everyone in creating a more inclusive and sustainable world.”