Telecom Lead Africa: Microlink Zambia has deployed Airspan 4G wireless solution in Lusaka and other key cities in Zambia.
Airspan supplies its Air4G macro base station which is being paired with AirSynergy, a flexible small cell base station.
In the first phase of deployment, the Zambian telecom operator will cover several regions of the country including many challenging environments such as in the Copperbelt mining region in Zambia.
Microlink Zambia will benefit as the 4G/LTE network is utilizing a combination of Macro and Pico base stations. The layering of smaller base stations into larger macro cells achieves more comprehensive cell coverage as well as boosts capacity. These types of networks are called Heterogeneous Networks (HetNets).
“Airspan has been a great partner on this project. Their solutions have enabled us to deploy a cost-effective 4G network that enables us to provide our customers with fast and reliable connectivity that best fits their needs and budgets,” said John Taylor, CEO of Microlink.
“With Airspan’s 4G platforms, we are able to offer unique, cost-effective, data services running on a 4G WiMAX network today, expand quickly into new areas as our customer base grows and migrate to an LTE platform in the future,” Taylor added.
The network is operating in the 2.5 GHz band. The operator targets residents and businesses for offering services. Microlink currently offers services in Lusaka, Kitwe, Ndola, Chingola, Solwezi, Chililabobmwe, Mufulira, Kapiri, Kafue, Mazabuka, Choma and Livingstone districts.
Africa has 13.5 percent Internet penetration rate for the entire continent. Zambia has only 6.4 percent of the population using the Internet.
“This void has spurred Microlink to deploy a country-wide network to reach underserved regions and empower customers with high-speed Internet and much-needed applications such as e-commerce capabilities,” said Amit Ancikovsky, president of Products and Sales for Airspan Networks.
Airspan equipment operates between 150 MHz and 6 GHz band. Airspan offers a variety of equipment to meet nearly any deployment scenario with pico, micro and macro base stations.
Recently, Aptics Trading, a Zimbabwe Internet Service Provider, has selected Airspan 4G equipment to deliver broadband services to a large portion of the nation. The deployment, operating in the 2.5 GHz band, employs Airspan’s Air4G.
