The South African mobile operator Vodacom has chosen Siemens to provide the mobile broadband infrastructure to bring 3G technology to Tanzania. As announced by Vodacom yesterday, Siemens will deliver and install the complete 3G network including HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. The order is part of a $126 million broadband technology roll-out of Vodacom in Tanzania.

Siemens Communications was already responsible for building the 3G network for Vodacom in South Africa. Based on this success and its competitiveness in terms of pricing, availability of expertise and support with future roadmaps, Siemens has now been awarded the contract by Vodacom Tanzania.

”Offering the latest 3G technology to the Tanzanian population is of strategic significance to Vodacom and we are confident that Siemens Communications is the right technology partner of choice to roll out the required infrastructure”, said Romeo Kumalo, Managing Director for Vodacom Tanzania.

“Tanzania has taken a momentous technological leap with the announcement by Vodacom Tanzania that it will introduce 3G technology to the market. As such, this development is of considerable importance since it will allow businesses and consumers in Tanzania to get access to the services that are enabled by high speed internet access”, said Christoph Caselitz, President of Mobile Networks at Siemens Communications.

This will be the second 3G network to be set up by Siemens in Southern Africa and will be the first truly high-speed mobile broadband connectivity available in Tanzania. As accelerator for 3G, HSDPA enables subscribers to benefit from download speeds of initially 1.8 megabits per second. The mobile broadband network is an economical way of bringing the internet to users in Africa. The project will open up all the advantages of speed, latency and multimedia to business users in Tanzania, and will therefore also help to drive economic progress both in the country and in the wider East African region.

Vodacom announced that effective 1 June 2006 it is offering a further reduction in the cost of its 3G data service. Subject to the approval of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), Vodacom will be lowering all its standard in-bundle 3G data tariffs by 20%.

“This reduction in tariffs means that Vodacom customers could pay as little as 39c per meg – making our superfast mobile internet even more affordable and accessible to everyone,” says Pieter Uys, Vodacom’s Chief Operations Officer.

“The proposed reduction in tariffs excludes 3G HSDPA tariffs and includes all standard in-bundle 3G contract and bolt-on tariffs,” Uys says.

This follows an announcement by Vodacom that effective 21 April 2006, any customer who owns a locally purchased Vodacom 3G Data Connect Card can visit any Vodacom approved outlet for a free swop-out for a 3G HSDPA Data Connect Card – dependant on availability of stock and proof of original purchase within South Africa.

Vodacom’s HSDPA network offers users downlink speeds of up to 1.8 Megabits per second which is faster than ADSL and up to 5 times faster than 3G.

Kuwaiti telecoms operator, Mobile Telecommunications Co (MTC), said on Sunday that its African subsidiary, Celtel, has signed a conditional deal to buy 65 per cent of Nigeria’s Vmobile for just over $1bn (ВЈ560m).

MTC said in a statement on the bourse web site that the deal also includes an option for the purchase of the remaining 35 per cent of Vmobile.

Vmobile is seen as a hot property in the lucrative Nigerian market. Last year the Virgin Group was placed in talks to acquire a stake in the Nigerian operator, while South African operator Vodacom, backed by Vodafone, also appeared eager to re-enter the Nigerian market, despite pulling out of a management contract with Vmobile in 2004 following discrepancies over the agreement.

Vmobile is the third largess operator in the country with 5 million subscribers as of the end of March. The operator competes with market leader MTN, Glo Mobile and M-Tel.