Public Enterprises minister Leon Jooste has met with Telecom Namibia’s CEO and board over on-going network disruptions currently faced by the government owned telco.
This comes as the State-owned telecoms company has received a barrage of criticism from its customers over continued network challenges, a position which it has solely blamed on theft and vandalism of its infrastructure.
“We met with the Telecom CEO and Board and I have complete confidence in their ability to address the challenges that they are facing,” Jooste told The Brief.
In November last year, Telecom Namibia Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Stanley Shanapinda, informed The Brief that the company was planning to more than double its investment in network upgrades to over NS$350 million under its 2023 Integrated Strategic Business Plan (ISBP).
The ISBP, according to the company, is expected to be a game changer for the company, allowing it to resolve on-going network challenges and to introduce new capabilities.
“They are finalising their new Business plan and the CEO and his team are thoroughly committed to maintain the commercial and operational stability of the company. I have also amplified our continuous support and I am looking forward to significant improvements,” the Minister said.
The State-owned telecommunications company, has over the past few months invested over N$150 million towards infrastructure expansion according to figures provided to this publication.
On progress on the dismantling of Namibia Post and Telecom Holdings (NPTH), the holding company of Telecom Namibia Limited (Telecom), Namibia Post Limited (NamPost), with a controlling 60% shareholder in listed Mobile Telecommunications Ltd (MTC), Jooste said the process was on going.
“The current NPTH Board will remain until the dismantling process is concluded,” he said.
On efficiency and governance concerns impacting the companies that currently fall under NPTH, he said “The dismantling of the NPTH is in fact a process that was prompted by the regulators a number of years ago already. It is therefore not a process that was initiated to improve the governance structure of the Public Enterprises that fall under the NPTH. Having said this, I have no concerns as these entities will simply be treated like all other Commercial Public Enterprises and the same governance principles will apply.”
This was after the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) had warned that the government’s continued hold on the country’s Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector was impacting on competitiveness and growth due insufficient investment in last-mile connectivity, most notably mobile 4G broadband, low quality of service and potentially high end-user prices.
