Airtel Telecom Seychelles has become the country’s first telecom to provide the third generation technology for mobile services or “3G.”
Airtel’s Corporate Affairs Manager, Lalita Mayadas said she was confident 3G would bring about “lots of valued added services.”
“We’ll be actually investing on applications to maximize the potential of this network,” said Mayadas.
Seychelles is now amongst the first African countries, together with South Africa, Nigeria and Tanzania with 3G technologies.
Observers say the technology, which allows subscribers Internet access at broadband speeds, could be the answer to the islands’ increasing demands for high-speed Internet.
The 3G launch comes as Airtel was facing tough competition from its rivalry Cable and Wireless, which recently introduced 2.5G (GPRS, Edge) network.
3G, or the killer application as some advertisers proudly call it, supports all the existing GSM functionality and brings additional functionalities such as video calling and mobile TV.
Critics said the success of the system’s implementation would depend on the number of subscribers with third generation phone.
“The price of 3G phones locally is certainly on of the obstacles keeping this innovative service from the reach of most ordinary Seychellois,” commented one phone seller in Victoria.
5 comments:
What an encouraging development! With Seychelles priding itself as a 5-star tourist destination, the time was long overdue to see the arrival of such advanced technology to these shores. Now the trick is getting maximum customers to buy the concept. It’s shouldn’t be that difficult with such a young technologically minded population we have. But I’m afraid the cost of the 3G phone models locally will prove changing to the wide spread use of this new service.
Are you able to tell us an approximate cost for use of the service (for data only i.e. using it for 3G Internet access on one's computer)?
Thank you.
Hi Gervais,
I am going to be in the Seychelles later this week (from Thursday to Sunday). If you are around it would be great to meet up. Please feel free to contact me directly on andy (at) higgins.co.za
Andy
Could you please tell me what the best way to get fast internet access off my laptop on Mahe? I urgently need to work and have no broadband access in the apartment I'm staying in. Need to work off a trading platform so need reliability
So well and nice posting , I like it.
Bathmate
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