The Namibian telecoms regulator bemoaned the lack of uptake of 4G-enabled devices, proposing tax breaks and incentives to encourage local people to use the devices.
Speaking during the weekend's launch of the latest tower by MTC Namibia in Kunene, located in the Epupa constituency, Emilia Nghikembua, CEO of Namibia's Communications Regulatory Authority, said: “Adoption is very important because putting up the tower is not digital transformation. It’s an enabler.”
Her proposal came after MTC Namibia, the country's state-owned mobile operator, expressed worry about the underutilisation of its network towers, an issue linked to the high cost of 4G-enabled devices in the country.
The country's leading mobile operator revealed that the usage of 4G infrastructure is low, at less than 50 percent, citing the Kunene region in the north, which borders Angola.
The government-owned operator revealed that the low uptake of its rollout is hindering digital transformation and, ultimately, Namibia's economic growth.
Mercia Geises, MTC acting board chairperson, commented: “MTC has about (around) 74 towers in the Kunene region, all of which are 4G-enabled. The utilisation rate of these towers is sitting close to 50 percent.
“So, while we bring the infrastructure, it’s easy to say, how do we get our communities to adopt and utilise the infrastructure?”
She went to says the leaders in the community and the governor have to work with the telco to maximise the value that “we are delivering, and sitting at 50 percent just shows the underutilisation of this vast capability and a window into the world that this community could have."
Emma Theofelus, minister of information and communication technology, distributed 100 mobile phones from the Universal Service Fund during the event.
Priority was given to top performing learners in Ehomba Combined School.
“It means nothing when the tower is here but the community is unable to use it,” Theofelus said.
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