Zambia’s state-owned telco, Zamtel, is planning to roll out 600 4G/5G sites to bring faster speed and more reliability to Chalala, a district within the Muchinga Province.
This was revealed over the weekend, when the telco launched a 4G/5G network upgrade in the district at an event attended by Minister of Technology and Science Felix Mutati.
The telco said Chalala community happens to be one of the fastest growing residential areas in Lusaka.
In addition to that, Zamtel said, Chalala has many business outfits open in the last few years and therefore provides opportunities not only for network operators but also for manufacturers and wholesalers of fast moving goods as well.
The minister said it’s a new dawn for the Zambian government that Zamtel continues to break new ground based with the launch.
The telco, which moved from Insolvency, is now making profits and it said the modernisation and upgrade of the 4G/5G network in Chalala will drive growth and help empower enterprising people in the community.
The launch of the Chalala site will be replicated in other areas within Lusaka and the country at large.
Zamtel said: “This upgrade seeks to address the connectivity gap.”
According to the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority, as of 2024, only 53% of the country’s population had access to mobile broadband, with wide disparities between urban and rural areas.
Zamtel said: “As the entire Lusaka enjoys relatively higher coverage, areas like Chalala still face congestion and suboptimal speeds due to inadequate infrastructure.
“The 4G/5G upgrade will bring access to digital services such as e-learning, e-health and -commerce. It allows for improved browsing and online experiences, better performance of multimedia apps and greater support for e-commerce, smart home systems, and digital entrepreneurship.”
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