Namibia's biggest mobile network operator Make the Connection (MTC) has announced that 42 home-grown companies have been appointed as contracting partners for its 081Every1 project involving the construction of 524 new mobile towers in the country.

The 081Every1 project was first announced in July last year as a plan to achieve 100% network coverage for the telco by connecting mainly rural parts of Namibia through a N$1.2-billion investment over a two-year period.

Tim Ekandjo, Chief Human Capital and Corporate Affairs Officer said the companies will begin work this week after the tender process was completed late last year.

"The 081Every1 project will be a catalyst for change to accelerate the development of rural areas in the country. In a nutshell, this is a truly significant Namibian project and we are therefore humbly proud and satisfied that we have vested Namibian companies to participate in this project in line with our Procurement policy that seeks to empower Namibians."

Ekandjo adds that seventeen of the 42 companies have been appointed to manage the supply, delivery and installation of Base Transmitter Station (BTS) infrastructure required to complete the construction of the towers.

"We have strategically opted for seventeen companies as opposed to one to speed up the implementation of the project so that the construction of towers commences simultaneously in all regions," he continued.

Six wholly-owned Namibian companies will be responsible for the Tower Loading Analysis Services (TLAS) according to MTC, while the supply of solar, grid and lithium type batteries will be the responsibility of nineteen of the companies to bring the total number to forty-two.

The most recent Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) Statistics Newsletter, released in August 2017, found that Namibia is no longer a price leader in Africa, mostly due to a lack of domestic competition within the telecommunications sector.

"In particular for mobile prepaid data, Namibia slipped in African ranking and 20 countries are cheaper than Namibia. International call revenues and traffic continue to decline..." reported the regulator as part of a call for increased investment in the hope of enhancing competition in the sector which is dominated by Telecom Namibia and MTC.