Warning to protect Internet Modems against power surges and lightning damage

The lightning season, the period from December through April, is upon us. Lightning storms may be fascinating to some people, but they can cause damage to home appliances and electronics.

During these six months there is a potential for lightning strikes to hit your house or nearby power lines. If this happens, the electricity can travel through the phone lines, causing damage to phones and modems.

Internet users must be particularly vigilant and be prepared for Mother Nature’s onslaught during this time of year when telephone/modem router line is most vulnerable, because of the frequency and severity of thunderstorms and the constant threat from lightning ground currents.

We thus wish to advise customers to protect their phones and modems from harmful ground currents caused by nearby lightning strikes, by acquiring lightening protectors to enjoy peace of mind during bad weather conditions. Internet users are further advised there are separate lightening protectors either for single or multiple devices.

Whenever there is a thunderstorm, it is possible that lightning or electrical power surges caused by lightning, may damage one or more of computer components with excessive voltage. All types of modems are especially susceptible, because a harmful power surge can reach the modem in two ways – through the electrical power grid and through the telephone line to which the modem is connected.

We advise customers that whenever it rains they should unplug their computers and modems, completely from the wall socket in order to avoid damage from harmful power surges. Not only should all power supply cables be unplugged, but also any telephone/fax cables that are connected to the computer.

Our advice to customers to take precautionary measure should be taken seriously as customers will be liable for the replacement of their modems if they are damaged or broken as a result of power surges and/or lightning attacks.  

However, Telecom Namibia has taken all precautionary measures to minimise network related faults caused by adverse weather conditions and to ensure that our network equipment survives the worse lightening attacks. Our technicians will be readily available to ensure that interruptions of any nature are rectified as quickly as possible.

SADC telecom operators want to ensure against fraud and revenue loss

Whilst the telecommunications industry in Africa has seen a quantum leap in the past decade, with some markets being more competitive and lucrative, there remains this shadowy side of telecoms in Africa - Fraud.

Telecom Namibia will provide a hub and platform for learning, debating and networking around this important issue of Fraud as it hosts the Southern Africa Telecommunications Association (SATA) 5^th Regional Workshop on ICT Fraud, Revenue Assurance and Network/Cyber Security in Windhoek from 14^th – 16^th November 2011.

Information and Communication Technology Minister Joel Kaapanda is expected to officiate at the workshop. Telecom Namibia Managing Director, as host, will address the opening session.

This is the only event within the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Region where issues on Telecommunications Fraud Management, Revenue Assurance and Network/Cyber Security are discussed. Delegates will spend three days of sharing knowledge, latest thinking, experiences and evaluate practical solutions for reducing fraud, assuring revenue and overcoming security attacks on our ICT networks.

Today, the challenges faced by the telecom sector are wide ranging. One such challenge is revenue leakage which is a fact of life, given the technical and business challenges in this complicated environment. Companies worldwide take a 1.5-2% leakage in revenue as normal. Now, due to competitive pressures, companies are beginning to focus on internally tightening their processes to curb revenue losses.

However, revenue leakage, across the entire revenue chain, remains a challenge for operators. It is an inherent risk in the telecom revenue cycle, irrespective of the region of operations. Various revenue assurance research reports say that the degree of exposure lies in the range of 10% to 15% of a CSP’s gross revenue, depending upon factors such as networks, type of services, geography, and revenue assurance maturity level.

The workshop, among others, will focus on:

- How effective Fraud Management Systems (FMS) can help detect and reduce telecoms fraud;

- Effective ways of conducting investigations in telecoms in order to achieve best results;

- Strategies to provide adequate barriers against fraud in subscriber prepaid systems;

- Key issues surrounding strategic risk management of network fraud and security;

- Interconnection bypass;

- Addressing internal fraud; and

- Combating fraud and security in the Next Generation Networks.

SATA was established in 1980 in pursuant of the Southern Africa Development Community SADC Treaty and the provisions of the SADC Protocol on Transport, Communications and Meteorology. Until 1999, the association was known as the Southern Africa Telecommunications Administrations (SATA).

The regional association handles issues such as technical standards, tariffs, sub-regional information infrastructure (SRII), cross-border investment (satellite technology) and public/private partnerships.

SATA has 15 member operators namely Telecom Namibia, Angola Telecom, Movicel Angola, Botswana Telecom Corporation, Telecom Lesotho, Econet Ezi-Cel (Lesotho), Malawi Telecommunications Limited, Mauritius Telecom, Telecomunicações de Moçambique, Telkom South Africa, Swaziland Posts & Telecommunications Corporation, Tanzania Telecommunications Company Limited, Zambia Telecommunications Company Limited, Tel.One Zimbabwe and TeleAccess (Zimbabwe). 

Telecom Namibia launches exciting all-new ‘Share’ campaign

Telecom Namibia recently re-affirmed its commitment to its customers by launching a fresh and exciting ‘Share’ advertising campaign aimed at personalising its brand promise, “Sharing your world,” with customers.

The first of the ads debuted on 24 October in local print media targeting existing and potential customers.  The ads will continue to run in the media, online, and social media this year – with exciting competitions and fabulous prizes to be won.

The all-new advertising campaign centres around the company’s brand promise, “Sharing your world.” This basic statement defines what Telecom Namibia is. Our brand promise personifies the Telecom Namibia brand. This is a brand that at its very core has a passion for connecting people to make life easier for them.  It is a truth about who we are and what we have always stood for.

Our brand promise is born from the understanding that the company plays a vital role in enabling all customers to communicate with the rest of the world, to share ideas, emotions, information, thoughts, dreams and expectations through Telecom Namibia’s fast, reliable, state-of-the-art telecommunication infrastructure.

What is this ‘Share’ concept?

Telecom Namibia is a successful, provider of a wide variety of innovative and effective ICT technology and services that allows customers to Share their progressive aspirations in life, at work and in their community.

Telecom Namibia offers customers a wide variety of choice, effective products and services that facilitate sharing.  Our main promise of sharing to customer is:

• Share our dream of all that is possible

• Share a whole new world of possibilities

We offer customers the ability to Share from a variety of platforms…

Telecom Namibia customers have thus the potential to enter a whole new world of possibilities through the ability to share their life-stories with loved ones and friends alike.  Telecom Namibia prides itself in providing means for people to connect with each other and share their expectations, feelings, life, memories, plans, stories, time or, in fact, share your whole world.

Re-affirming a commitment

With the re-affirmation of our brand promise Telecom Namibia commits itself to share a whole new world of possibilities with its customers – a commitment to deliver innovative and cost-effective products and services to them.

As a company, Telecom Namibia’s mission is to transform and enrich lives through communications by way of our vision of making things possible for our customers.

Through our renewed commitment to making life easier for customers, our goal is to enrich everyday communications by simplifying and removing obstacles in communication technology so that we bring our customers closer to what matters to them most: the latest ICT possibilities at your fingertips to Share the world with ease and convenience.

Telecom Namibia

Telecom Namibia wishes to apologise to some of its broadband customers for slow internet downloads from international sites. The problem lies beyond the Namibian borders as a result of a failure on the SEACOM undersea cable and also capacity loss to one of our upstream service providers, Belgacom, in Europe.

We are doing everything in its power to make alternate arrangements, including an upgrade of its facilities in Keetmanshoop to accommodate redundant capacity to deal with failures of this kind. It is expected that the normal fast internet services will be back within the next three weeks.

We truly apologise for the inconvenience this must have caused. We are working diligently around the clock to overcome the problem with our partners.

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Telecom hosts Annual Namibian Businesswoman Award launch

The 15th Namibian Businesswoman of the Year 2011 awards, scheduled for October this year, where launched at the Telecom Namibia Head Office in Windhoek recently.

Telecom Namibia has contributed N$160,000 towards the activities of the Namibia Businesswomen Projects, which include hosting the businesswomen awards.

 “As a company, Telecom Namibia is cognizant of the fact that to achieve our empowerment objectives we require more women to be mentors to young aspiring businesswomen,” said Oiva Angula, Senior Manager: Corporate Communications, at the launch on 15 June.

 “It is our belief that the recognition of women through the Awards can contribute to encouraging greater gender diversity and equality in business and other areas of human endeavours,” Angula added.

Event organiser Desere Lundon-Muller said the event has become an integral part of the Namibian business calendar, and celebrates the achievements of some truly remarkable women.

Four awards will be handed out, namely the Business Owner Award, Private and Corporate Sector Award, Community and Government Award, and the Young Businesswoman Award.

Lundon-Muller said in the Business Owner category, candidates must own a 50 % share or more in a business, with the responsibility of making key management decisions, while the Private and Corporate Sector category is open to employees or business owners in that sector with less than 50 % share in the business.

In the Community and Government category, nominees must be employees of any government department, statutory body or not-for-profit organisation; and in the Young Businesswoman category, nominees should be under the age of 30.

The organiser thus called on interested businesswomen or any individuals who meet the criteria to collect the nomination forms at any Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) branch countrywide. Lundon-Muller said anyone can nominate a person as a candidate in any of the categories, and this includes spouses, employees, bankers, small business agencies and business consultants.

Other sponsors of the event include the Namibia Economist and Castle Brewing Namibia.

Remote areas get broadband in Namibia

This year’s World Telecommunication & Information Society Day was held under the theme – Better Life in Rural Communities with ICTs.

In this article, we shares Telecom Namibia’s successes and goals for the future with respect to development of the telecommunications services and highlights the company’s commitment in enhancing the sector to cover the rural areas.

The main theme of this year’s WTISD aims to ensure that ICTs will contribute to a better future for our rural populations. In the rural context, ICTs provide enhanced opportunities to generate income and combat poverty, hunger, ill health and illiteracy.

 Telecom Namibia has attached a special emphasis on extending telecommunication services to people living in remote areas. Of late, the company is offering telecommunication service through wireless local loops (WLLs) in less populated remote areas spread across the country.

“We are in greater need than ever before for providing the remotest areas in the country with premium voice and internet services, in addition to eliminating digital illiteracy so as to enable all individuals of the society to acquire electronic services and benefit from the better services offered in such fields as health care, education, as well as means of obtaining information and knowledge,” said Oiva Angula, senior manager of Corporate Communications and Public Relations.

 “Our commitment as a business is to deploy state-of-the-art technologies and providing services for rural and urban residents alike. In this way, the ICT sector can contribute to overcoming all geographical barriers by reaching out to all the different Namibian cities and villages,” Angula added.

 Highlighting the challenges faced by Telecom Namibia, the PR chief said mountains and valleys make it difficult for the companies to give coverage.

 Telecom Namibia is mainly using CDMA, VSAT and WiMAX platforms to provide voice connectivity and broadband internet services to rural communities in Namibia.

 “The ultimate objectives behind employing these technologies include offering high-quality services, saving time and effort, enabling rural communities to participate actively and benefit from the fruits of modern technology,” Angula said.

 Of the existing 66 CDMA base stations in the country, a good number of them are in the rural areas, providing telecommunication services to villages around towns such as Ondangwa, Katima Mulilo, Oshikango, Opuwo, Rundu, Okakarara, Oshakati, Oshivelo, Omuthiya, Okahao’ Ombalantu, Ohangwena, Oluno, Rehoboth, Ongwediva, Eenana, Omundaungilo, Onesi, and Ondobe -  to mention a few.

 In May 2011, Telecom Namibia deployed a SkyEdge II Broadband Satellite Network to serve hundreds of locations throughout Namibia. In addition to providing network connectivity for businesses and residential customers, Telecom Namibia will provide telephony and broadband internet services to remote communities across the country.

This is a multi-service platform capable of delivering high-quality voice, broadband data and video services for different environments. The new platform is also serving as backhaul transmission to eight small digital exchanges (SDEs), connecting remotely located communities such as Tsumkwe, Koes, Gam, etc.

The WiMAX connectivity became very popular among the farming community due to the powerful data/internet service and performance.

 In 2010 alone, 17 new WiMAX base stations were deployed, bring the number of active WiMAX sites in the country to roughly 60.

 “Our investment in WiMAX the past 12 months shows that Telecom Namibia has a goal to ensure that rural communities across the countries are able to get access to affordable telecommunications systems,” Angula said.

 “In this expanding digital society in which we live, now would be the worst time to limit Internet and broadband access to children and residents, especially in rural areas,” he concluded.

Telecom Namibia deploys new broadband satellite communications network

Telecom Namibia has deployed a SkyEdge II Broadband Satellite Network to serve hundreds of locations throughout Namibia. The 600-site SkyEdge II VSAT network to be deployed will support voice and internet services for consumers and companies throughout Namibia.

In addition to providing network connectivity for businesses and residential customers, Telecom Namibia will provide telephony and broadband internet services to remote communities in Namibia. The SkyEdge II is a multi-service platform capable of delivering high-quality voice, broadband data and video services for different environments including large companies, rural networks, cellular backhaul and government network applications.

The new, IP oriented and higher capacity network has replaced legacy equipment (Dialaway VSAT and Faraway VSAT) and enables the connection of new sites to broadband services. These old systems were in use starting 2000.

The SkyEdge II VSAT solution offers Telecom Namibia a most suitable product choice to meet the needs for residential and SMEs connectivity, as well as corporate networks and backhaul applications for other telecom service providers. The solution also enables Telecom Namibia to keep pace with the expanding needs of the market amid the country’s harsh rural geographic terrain.

Furthermore, satellite-based connectivity is fundamental for communications in Namibia given the country’s low and sparse population density (approximately two million people spread over more than 800,000 square kilometers).
The implementation of the 600-site Sky Edge II network commenced in mid 2010 and is in final stages of completion. Telecom Namibia will use the SkyEdge II network to deliver Internet and voice services to residential and enterprise customers. Additionally, the new network will be used to deliver the company’s Wi Space Wi-Fi hotspot service in hotels and other tourist destinations throughout Namibia.

“We are pleased to have added SkyEdge II to our portfolio of value-added satellite business solutions. This multi-star technology enables us to operate satellite networks for our customers in a centralised manner increasing the operational efficiency and utilisation of our resources,” said Oiva Angula, Telecom Namibia’s Senior Manager of Corporate Communications and Public Relations.

“Telecom Namibia is now uniquely positioned in the market combining its terrestrial and satellite capabilities with its extensive national coverage of a 100% digital network, including IP/MPLS (Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), leased lines and Ethernet,” Angula said.

He said that Telecom Namibia remains the country’s leading integrated supplier of voice, text, data and video solutions and operates the largest Digital Telecommunication Network in the country. “We look forward to continuing our market leadership in Namibia and is proud to improve the quality of life of Namibians in the most remote rural areas of the country,” he concluded.

Another Good Year – Telecom Namibia posts impressive financial results yet again

Riding on the back of increasing subscriber additions for its broadband offerings, Telecom Namibia has registered yet another impressive performance for financial year 2009-10.Going by its track record, this is not unexpected. Over the years, the company has grown consistently, showing strong, sequential improvements in its profits and revenues.

During the year, Telecom Namibia’s registered a 3 per cent increase in its total revenue from N$1.13 billion for the year ended September 2009 to N$1.16 billion for the year ended 30 September 2010. The growth in demand of broadband product and service offerings contributed significantly to the increase in revenue.

There was a significant increase in operating profit for the year from N$58.5 million realised in the previous financial year, to N$103.7 million for the year ended 30 September 2010. This represents an increase of 77 per cent year on year and is largely attributable to the immense savings made in the cost of distributing the Company’s products and services.

Telecom Namibia’s profit after tax vastly improved from N$25.5 million for the year ended September 2009 to N$ 69.7 million for the period under review.

The Company’s total assets have increased from N$2.13 billion as at the 30 September 2010 to N$2.18 billion at the end of the period under review, representing an increase of 3 per cent. Additional investment amounting to N$159 million was made towards local capital infrastructure development. Among the local projects carried out were the following:

• Building of the WACS Landing Station at Swakopmund, of which the building construction work was completed and the first batch of equipment are being installed. This project is well on schedule.

• Continued deployment of broadband services, especially those based on ADSL and WiMAX access technologies.

• Upgrade of the South Fibre Ring from STM-16 to STM-64, which is in terms of transmission capacity.

• Deployment of a modern air traffic control system of the Directorate of Civil Aviation was another major project implemented.

• All border posts for Ministry Home Affairs were serviced with new infrastructure, except the new one at Wakashamane.


• The Hardap West Project which involved a new aerial fibre construction between Nudaus and Sesriem.ple spread over more than 800,000 square kilometers).

Telecom Namibia successfully concluded a bond issue during the financial year resulting in the injectionof N$200 million


in long term capital to the business.

Additional long term debt amounting to N$222 million was raised by the Company during the year. Total long term borrowings thus increased from N$294 million as at 30 September 2009 to N$659 million as at the end of the period under review. The additional capital, augmented by the positive cash flow generated from operations, saw Telecom Namibia fully redeem the overdraft outstanding at the beginning of the period under review amounting to N$256 million, during the year ended September 2010. A net amount of N$327 million was generated from operations for the period under review, up from N$295 million generated in the previous financial year.

These impressive results were achieved amidst the ongoing transformation exercise within Telecom Namibia in order to build a highly competitive organisation that drives innovation and profitable growth. We have been successful growing our NGN technology and service portfolios and providing broadband services to business and individual users across the whole of Namibia. In terms of strategy, broadband services are to play a highly significant role in delivering to the customer a ‘one time’ solution to a variety of needs spanning voice, data, video and mobility - all delivered on a single platform, offering customers unprecedented conveniences and flexibility, while such a single network will effect significant cost savings for the customer.

The deployment of new networks has laid the foundations of the company’s repositioning and transformation to conform to its new business model. This model requirement includes a significant reduction in general and administrative expenses, driven by simplified operations, reduced systems and improved processes. In addition, R&D investment will continue to be a top priority. Capital investment will be in high-growth opportunities. Plans to increase the company's focus in sales and other customer-facing functions will be enhanced.

In terms of corporate social responsibility, Telecom Namibia is making steady progress towards its goal of extending corporate social responsibility way beyond building the telecommunication infrastructure that forms the framework of the economy and the society.

Telecom Namibia has committed itself to the UN Global Compact in aligning its policies and strategies with universal accepted principles in the areas of business ethics and transparency; workplace practices and employee relations; community engagement and development; environmental health and safety; human rights and the integration of corporate social responsibility into its supply chain.