Airtel takes 3.75G to Zambia

LUSAKA, ZAMBIA: Bharti Airtel on Tuesday launched its 3.75G platform in Zambia, enabling customers to experience high speed mobile broadband access and make video calls and watch television live.

"3.75G technology will give our customers the opportunity to interact with data in a different way," said Fayaz King, managing director, Airtel, Zambia.

Also Read: Twitter free on Airtel till March 2012

"This is why Airtel doesn't see 3.75G as a product but a platform that enables the community to expand its social and commercial horizons, alongside the rest of the world," he added.

The company said the technology used to usher in 3.75G was the fastest available and will be enormously beneficial for a variety of users, which include large corporates, small or medium businesses and the youth. It offers speeds up to 21 megabytes per second (mbps) and is similar to those being rolled out in Europe and the US.

There are currently about 400 million mobile subscribers in Africa, according to McKinsey & Co. Telecommunications is one of the continent's fastest growing industries with a rapidly expanding cellular phone market that now includes internet access, mobile banking and mobile commerce.

According to King, Airtel will be rolling out its data network across all its markets in Africa with the objective of building the largest 3G network across the continent.

There are currently 280 Airtel 3.75G sites across Zambia - covering all provincial districts. The company aims to roll out up to 400 by the end of this year.

"Our 3.75G platform will allow customers to combine the enormous potential of the internet with the convenience of cellular phones and other devices. It will liberate the potential of our youth through enabling fast access to the Internet for learning, sharing, social networking, creating and accessing content," said King.