Southern Province to get 90 Zamtel sites

By BUSINESS REPORTER ZAMTEL will construct 90 communication towers in the Southern Province out of the 1009 that will be rolled out countrywide, chief executiveofficer Sydney Mupeta has said.

Mr Mupeta said so far 87 sites were currently live on air and that his firm was committed to ensuring that all areas including the rural locations had reliable communication.

He was speaking during the launch of a communication tower at Mubanga Secondary School in Kalomo district in Southern Province.

He said that Southern Province would have 98 sites out of which eight were already on.

"With 90 more sites coming to this Province, I am sure you will agree with me that the communication experience will never be the same because we are not only building sites, but we are bringing affordable packages and tariffs suitable for everyone," he.

Southern province Minister Edify Hamukale said at the same occasion that improving communication services in rural areas would boost investment profile in the countryside.

Dr Hamukale said through the implementation of the 1009 communication towers, a number of job opportunities would be created through retail

sales of talk time and associated products and services.

"I am reliably informed that already, Zamtel is rolling out 2,000 booths, providing entrepreneurship opportunities to mostly women and youth in different parts of the country. This is very commendable.

"The towers project will further increase connectivity for enterprises as well as enable rural farmers easier access to markets for theirproducts," he said. He said Government had prioritised the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure for improved service delivery.

The Minister said Government was committed to increasing access to reliable and affordable communication services across the country.

"It is therefore exciting to note that today`s event stands true to our unwavering resolve to bridge the digital gap between the urban and rural populations,” Dr Hamukale said. He commended Zamtel management and the contractor, Huawei Technologies, for the speed and excellent workmanship exhibited in the implementation of the project. Dr Hamukale said the project was a milestone in that all thecommunication services enjoyed by people along the line of rail, would now be available to the population off the line of rail.