Flood, insecurity slows down MTN’s $1.3bn network optimisation project

Ben Uzor Jr

Efforts by MTN to put its network in prime position to deliver best-in-class services is been stalled by the spate of insecurity and the unprecedented flooding in many parts of Nigeria. The telecommunications company on Tuesday appealed to its over 40 million subscribers’ to bear with the poor quality of service rendered since the commencement of its $1.3 billion network modernisation exercise. The company said various activities related to network modernisation are progressing steadily. “We regret, however, that the pace of work has been considerably challenged by the spate of insecurity coupled with the unprecedented flooding being experienced in many parts of the country”, said Wale Goodluck MTN’s corporate services executive. The network optimisation and modernisation exercise, according to Goodluck will affect over 4,000 Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) out of over 10, 000 across the country.

“The task that we are undertaking is tantamount to building a new network .We are seeking to replicate what we achieved over a six year period in nine months”. Goodluck explained that considerable progress has been recorded with regard to the ongoing network improvement plans. “Several swap-outs have reached very advanced stages of completion,” he disclosed. “The entire network modernization process is a very logistic-intensive one and the problem of insecurity has seriously affected the pace of work in some parts of the country.” In at least 13 states, Goodluck further added, flooding has created additional logistic impediments such that the pace of the ongoing network modernisation efforts has slowed down. Goodluck acknowledged that MTN’s customers have been experiencing some disruption over the last few weeks. “We sincerely express our thanks to our customers for their patience,” he said.

He pledged that that as much as possible, MTN would stick to its original plan of carrying out the network procedures only at night, in order to minimize disruptions to services. He also assured that MTN is doing everything possible, including doubling its work teams, to finalize the project as quickly as possible. Several communities, Goodluck said, have been very supportive of the current network modernization efforts. “We sincerely appreciate the enthusiastic support which our engineering teams continue to receive from different communities in many parts of the country.” Such support he said was often a much-needed tonic in the face of the enormous logistic-challenges the project regularly encounters. MTN’s current network modernization and swap-out exercise which began in July 2012 is expected to cover the entire country and was originally expected to span a period of nine months. Its objectives are to considerably enhance capacity on the MTN Network and improve service quality.

Under the project, which is being implemented by a combined team of MTN engineers and technical partners that include Ericsson, Huawei and ZTE, key network components are being swapped with the latest upgrades in the industry. In addition, current power systems are being replaced with hybrid power systems which are more environment-friendly. “It’s a massive investment we are making,” said Goodluck, “to boost not only the quality of telephone services, but also to enhance the back-end information and communication technology support which we provide for banking and financial services, the oil industry and several other industries across Nigeria.” He expressed MTN’s appreciation to all of the company’s stakeholders “especially our customers and we pledge to do all we can, despite the mitigating circumstances, to finalize the network modernization project as quickly as possible.”