MTN draws up roadmap for $1.3bn nationwide network modernisation

Ben Uzor Jr

In keeping with the Quality of Service (QoS) mandates of the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), MTN Nigeria has clearly drawn out its roadmap for the successful implementation of its $1.3 billion nationwide expansion project. The telecommunications company disclosed yesterday that all facet of its network (radio, transmission and core) which happens to be the largest in Africa would be given a face lift in the next nine months. According to the telecom company, it had commenced a comprehensive network modernisation and swap-out exercise that is expected to cover its extensive network across the country.

However, MTN on Thursday informed its over 40 million subscribers that the network optimisation and modernisation project would come with some pains. Wale Goodluck, corporate services executive, MTN told newsmen in Lagos yesterday that subscribers would experience downtime during the implementation of the project as legacy (old) infrastructure and systems deployed ten years ago will be replaced with latest technologies with a view to improving efficiency and availability of the network. This move, he said would ensure that MTN’s subscribers going forward enjoy better quality of service. Beyond this, MTN carries 50 percent of Nigeria’s telecoms traffic which means that subscribers on other networks would also experience downtime. Besides, Goodluck explained that MTN was already evaluating and analysing traffic patterns to determine the best possible point in time to effect these changes.

This, he went on would ensure downtime is reduced to the barest minimum while the modernisation project goes on. “We will make most of these changes at night when the traffic levels are low. Goodluck reiterated the company’s commitment to delivering best-in-class telecoms services to its subscribers, further adding that the modernisation project was not in response to the N1.17 billion fines imposed on operators by the NCC for rendering poor services to subscribers on their respective network. He dismissed the idea that payment of the fine would affect the company’s budget for the execution of the project.

He said the project, which had been in the pipeline for several months commenced over a month ago after intensive planning. “Our local team working closely with our technical partners and experts began work in April,” said Goodluck. “They have done much of the backend work preparatory to the actual swapping of network components in the days ahead.” Goodluck said the massive project involving three technical partners, Ericsson, Huawei and ZTE, will be carried out at night to minimise impact on the quality of service. In addition, he said the exercise will be done in clusters, such that select base transceiver stations (BTS) in disparate parts of the country will undergo simultaneous upgrade to further ensure that the negative impact of the exercise is brought to its barest minimum.

“Our CAPEX budget for 2012 is more than enough to deal with our network expansion plans for 2012. We expect government to quickly address the issue of right-of-way so as not slow down network build. Government has made some intervention for the Aviation, Maritime sector. The telecoms sector should not be excluded”, he argued. Giving vivid insight into how the project will play out in terms of implementation phases, Lynda Saint-Nwafor, chief technical officer (CTO), MTN, said yesterday that firstly the company would commence swapping of all single service nodes to multi service nodes.

This, according to her means a single radio platform will be deployed to deliver all communications technologies (2G, 3G, and Long Term Evolution). “Moving on to the transmission network, we are swapping out  legacy TDM (Time Division Multiplexing) radios for IP (Internet Protocol) radios which would give us increased flexibility in terms of capacity provisioning on the transmission and back haul networks. On the core network, we are moving to high-capacity blade MSC (Mobile Switching Centre) that would help us reduce the number of hand over failure which causes drop calls.

“On every sphere of the network, we are going to be modernising and optimising our infrastructure with the common aim of improving the quality of service”. Alluding to the need to adopt alternative energy sources to address Nigeria’s problem of power which according analysts is the essential drawback to delivering good quality of service, Nwafor disclosed that even the power generation would also be affected as the operator would be swapping existing power systems at most of the sites with hybrid power system which is environment-friendly.

According to her, the company should have about 4000 sites on hybrid power system by the end of the year, up from the current 2000 sites. Also as part of the massive project, Saint-Nwafor disclosed that a contract had been signed with end-to-end telecommunications solutions provider, Ericsson, to optimise 3000 base transceiver stations across the country. At the end of the exercise, the BTS will operate at peak performance, significantly improving customer experience on the network, she added. She explained that in some locations, especially where security situation would not allow her team to work at night, there will be temporary service difficulties in the course of swapping equipment and optimising the network.

She implored customers in such areas to bear with the company, assuring that such temporary pains would usher in a new era of enjoyable services and thrilling experience. Finally, Funmi Omagbenigun, general manager, corporate affairs, MTN pointed out that maintaining good quality of services was in MTN’s best interest. “We are working to ensure that we have the capacity to deal with the volume of traffic. We do everything possible to minimize the downturn time when we make these changes to our network”.