QoS: Celtel Commissions new switch in Kaduna
the second time in as many weeks, Celtel Nigeria has demonstrated its commitment to the improvement of Quality of its Service, as it commissioned another new switch in Kaduna .
The company had, last week, commissioned a switch in the Federal Capital Territory , Abuja , with a promise to bring the total number of switches to 17 nationwide, giving the mobile operator a switching capacity of 20 million subscribers.
Chief Executive Officer of Celtel Nigeria , Bayo Ligali said at the Commissioning ceremony in Kaduna that the addition of the switch “clearly represents a timely response to the yearnings of telecommunications consumers for concrete action towards a resolution of the Quality of Service (QoS) challenges in the industry”.
Ligali also announced a plan to commit $1 billion to significantly expand coverage, enhance capacity and improve Quality of Service in 2008. Projects designed to achieve these include a 4000 kilometres fibre optic transmission backbone; additional 2000km microwave transmission backbone (supplementary to the existing 3000 km); nationwide generator swap-out and dualization and additional 1000 base stations (to the existing 4100). These, he said, would enhance the integrity and robustness of the network in the coming months and ultimately result in world class quality of service.
He also revealed that the company’s Network Monitoring Centre in Abuja will be completed this year to facilitate real-time fault detection and speedy rectification.
According to him, “I commit on behalf of my colleagues at Celtel Nigeria that we shall do all that it takes to meet the expectations of our customers by giving them what they want: Quality, Coverage and Excellent Customer Care”.
He disclosed that Celtel currently has service in 90% of the covered population of Northern Nigeria , given its importance in the socio-economic and political life of the country, adding that work is ongoing to further expand the coverage and capacity of the network in the region.
Speaking at the occasion, the Chairman of the House Committee on Communications, Hon. Jerry Manwe, who led other members of his committee to the commissioning, praised Celtel for taking concrete steps to address the challenge of Quality of Service.
While hoping that the new switch would result in improved QoS in Kaduna and its environs, Hon. Manwe challenged Celtel not to rest on its oars in giving Nigerian Telecommunications consumers what they want.
He explained that the pressure the House of Representatives has mounted on GSM operators over the past months was part of its oversight functions to ensure that every stakeholder in the telecommunications industry fulfilled its obligations.
Hon. Manwe explained the regular summons have also provided opportunities for the Committee to not only challenge the operators but to also identify the problems militating against the smooth operations of the telecommunications service providers.
Other Honourable Members of the House of Representatives, who attended the commissioning, included the Chairman of the House sub-committee on GSM, Hon. Chinyere Iguwe; Hon. Offor Chukwuegbo, Chairman of the sub-committee on Rural Telephony and Hon. Mustapha Sanni Haliru, representing Kaduna South in the National Assembly.
The company had, last week, commissioned a switch in the Federal Capital Territory , Abuja , with a promise to bring the total number of switches to 17 nationwide, giving the mobile operator a switching capacity of 20 million subscribers.
Chief Executive Officer of Celtel Nigeria , Bayo Ligali said at the Commissioning ceremony in Kaduna that the addition of the switch “clearly represents a timely response to the yearnings of telecommunications consumers for concrete action towards a resolution of the Quality of Service (QoS) challenges in the industry”.
Ligali also announced a plan to commit $1 billion to significantly expand coverage, enhance capacity and improve Quality of Service in 2008. Projects designed to achieve these include a 4000 kilometres fibre optic transmission backbone; additional 2000km microwave transmission backbone (supplementary to the existing 3000 km); nationwide generator swap-out and dualization and additional 1000 base stations (to the existing 4100). These, he said, would enhance the integrity and robustness of the network in the coming months and ultimately result in world class quality of service.
He also revealed that the company’s Network Monitoring Centre in Abuja will be completed this year to facilitate real-time fault detection and speedy rectification.
According to him, “I commit on behalf of my colleagues at Celtel Nigeria that we shall do all that it takes to meet the expectations of our customers by giving them what they want: Quality, Coverage and Excellent Customer Care”.
He disclosed that Celtel currently has service in 90% of the covered population of Northern Nigeria , given its importance in the socio-economic and political life of the country, adding that work is ongoing to further expand the coverage and capacity of the network in the region.
Speaking at the occasion, the Chairman of the House Committee on Communications, Hon. Jerry Manwe, who led other members of his committee to the commissioning, praised Celtel for taking concrete steps to address the challenge of Quality of Service.
While hoping that the new switch would result in improved QoS in Kaduna and its environs, Hon. Manwe challenged Celtel not to rest on its oars in giving Nigerian Telecommunications consumers what they want.
He explained that the pressure the House of Representatives has mounted on GSM operators over the past months was part of its oversight functions to ensure that every stakeholder in the telecommunications industry fulfilled its obligations.
Hon. Manwe explained the regular summons have also provided opportunities for the Committee to not only challenge the operators but to also identify the problems militating against the smooth operations of the telecommunications service providers.
Other Honourable Members of the House of Representatives, who attended the commissioning, included the Chairman of the House sub-committee on GSM, Hon. Chinyere Iguwe; Hon. Offor Chukwuegbo, Chairman of the sub-committee on Rural Telephony and Hon. Mustapha Sanni Haliru, representing Kaduna South in the National Assembly.
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