Airtel launches fibre optic ring for high speed network service |25 May 2015

Telecommunications company Airtel Seychelles has inaugurated its first national fibre optic ring at the Providence Industrial Estate, Providence.
The project will complement the company’ s already existing 4G mobile service which it launched last year.

The optic fibre ring came only days after Airtel launched Airtel Money, a world class technology  that provides a fast, simple and secure mobile commerce service that will allow its users to load cash on their mobile devices, top up their airtime, pay utility bills, shop at a variety of merchant outlets and carry out mobile banking.

The launch formed part of activities to marking the Information Communications Technology (ICT) week. Vice-President Danny Faure was guest of honour for the occasion in his capacity as minister responsible for information technology.

It was the vice-president himself who unveiled the network at Providence in the presence of the Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Energy Didier Dogley; the principal secretary in the department of Information and Communications Technology Benjamin Choppy; managing director of Airtel Seychelles Amadou Dinah; the chief executive of the Industrial Estate Authority Vic Tirant and high officials and staff of Airtel Seychelles, DICT and the estate’s tenants.

The optic fibre ring will provide a high speed service on Airtel’s network service so that the full potential of the company’s 3G and 4G services can be tapped. The base stations from which access is provided to the customers need to be connected to the core network of the operator by as much capacity as possible, which is through the optic fibre ring.
Mr Dinah reminded all of Airtel Seychelles’ commitment 16 years back when the company set out to transform the telecommunications scene in Seychelles by bringing a lot of innovation, best customer experience and also affordability.

He assured all that the company is on the right track and cited some of the investments that have benefitted consumers so far such as prepaid service and products; launch of 3G; upgrading to 3.75G; then 4G, then lately Airtel Money.

“In order to keep giving the best to customers we are here to witness another huge investment on the fibre optic so that we will complete end to end the 3 main islands. This will be the laying of almost 300km of fibre on top of what we have already. This will help to bring a lot of new and great services to our customers among others and very soon the best IPTV programmes,” said Mr Dinah while thanking all stakeholders involved in making the project possible.

“We expect that the optic fibre ring of Airtel will definitely allow its 4G service to perform to its full technical potential for last mile connectivity,” said Mr Choppy.
He said with access to its own optic fibre infrastructure, this positions Airtel to explore and have the ability to deliver much more capacity to its clients and also implement even more innovative new services.

He commended Airtel for this initiative as the country needs to have continual reinvestment in its telecommunications infrastructure to ensure that Seychelles continues to maintain its high regional ranking in the ICT sector and also to ensure that the population has access to the best possible services and at affordable prices.

On behalf of the Industrial Estate Association, Mr Tirant said it is with pride that the Providence Industrial Estate hosts and facilitates the first launching of Airtel Seychelles fibre optic project which he said is of major importance to the development of the industrial sector.

The facility, he said, will ensure rapid communication both locally and internationally.
“One of the Industrial Estate Authority’s responsibility as per our Act, is to identify and establish services that would ease and enhance business development in the country and also allow for excellent public infrastructure to be built in order to serve the workforce and visitors within our estates, in collaboration with stakeholders, both in public and private sectors,” he said.

The base at Providence is the first phase of the project. The second one has already started in the South of Mahé. Then it will be Praslin and the last phase on La Digue.