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General, HANA Staff - By Andualem Gessesse
14 December, 2007
Nokia Siemens, a joint venture of Siemens Communications and Nokia Networks Business Group, has announced plans to expand its business in Ethiopia to reach the rural parts of the country.
At a press conference to announce the initiative, Mr. Michael Maltusch, Ethiopia Country Director of Nokia Siemens said their target is to connect 5 billion people by wire and wireless from one end of the planet to the other by 2015.
The company has delivered and installed GSM and GPRS Mobile Networks to ETC for approximately one million subscribers and delivered and installed a 1,800 kilometers long Fiber Optic Network.
"Around half the world's population lives in villages," explains Nokia Siemens, "the challenge now is for network operators to be flexible enough to try and adopt innovative solutions such as Nokia Siemens Network's 'Village Connection' that transfers responsibility for local network and business functions to a local level, building cost-effective connectivity, village by village."
During this period the company plans to release, "Innovative solutions; novel business models for rural areas and the synthesis of a new value network where rural roll-outs are turned into a lucrative, realistic business opportunity that will enable the mobile communications industry to provide rural customers with connectivity," said the statement.
"The importance of the Village Connection model is that it brings business to villages and enables different models of business franchising that create employment for someone in a village. It also recognizes the importance of sustainable growth when connecting rural communities which become possible when social responsibility and environmental values, are also in place", added Maltusch.