Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), a leading global telecom services provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, yesterday evening launched Africa’s first 4G service in the Seychelles. Airtel has launched the service on a state-of-the-art network based on FD-LTE, making the Seychelles amongst the first countries in sub Saharan Africa to commercially deploy this cutting-edge technology. This is Airtel’s first commercial LTE network in Africa.
The infrastructure is a new, nationwide LTE (Long Term Evolution) 800 MHz network, which will more than meet the growing customer demand for mobile broadband services, whilst delivering superior network performance. The network is expected to cover 10,000 LTE subscribers in the first phase and will greatly enhance connectivity giving Airtel’s customers an improved smartphone experience, with faster web browsing, downloads and improved quality of service.
Airtel’s 4G (FD-LTE) network was launched by His Excellency Mr. Danny Fure, Vice President, Government of Seychelles. The Vice President stated, “The deployment of the next generation mobile network across the Seychelles will enable an enhanced mobile experience and reliable services; and will facilitate new and exciting opportunities for businesses, the society and the people in the country.”
Commenting on the launch, Mr. Christian de Faria, Airtel Africa’s CEO said, “Today’s launch is a major milestone for Seychelles and Airtel in Africa. We already have Africa’s widest 3G footprint, being present in 17 countries. We are delighted to now provide leadership in setting the technology standard for 4G services in Africa by rolling out this cutting edge LTE network. I would like to thank the team involved in helping fulfill this achievement.”
Airtel Seychelles Managing Director, Amadou Mahamat Dina, said” Besides offering rich content, Airtel’s 4G will allow superfast access to High Definition (HD) video streaming, multiple chatting, instant uploading of photos and much more.”
